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Jaishankar's visit to the Maldives comes weeks after President Muizu visited India in June to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. (Picture: X)
Dr Jaishankar on three-day official visit to Maldives to reset bilateral ties
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Maldivian President Mohamed Muizou here on Saturday and stressed New Delhi's commitment to deepen India-Maldive relations for the benefit of both countries and the people of the region.
Jaishankar is on a three-day official visit to the Maldives to reset bilateral ties, India's first high-level visit since the archipelago nation's pro-China President Muizul took office last year.
“It is an honor to call on President Dr Mohammad Muizou. Conveying the greetings of Prime Minister @NarendraModi. Committed to deepening India-Maldives relations for the benefit of our people and region.
Jaishankar's visit to the Maldives comes weeks after President Muizu visited India in June to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.
Earlier, Jaishankar met Maldivian Defense Minister Ghassan Moumun to discuss bilateral security cooperation and the “mutual interest” in maintaining peace and stability in the region amid China's growing influence in the archipelago nation.
Relations between India and the Maldives have been severely strained since Muizou, known for his pro-China leanings, took over the Maldives' top job in November 2023.
Within hours of taking the oath, he demanded the withdrawal of Indian military personnel stationed at three aviation platforms in the Maldives.
The Indian military personnel were subsequently replaced by civilian personnel before the mutually agreed date of May 10.
This is Jaishankar's first official visit to the Maldives since his re-election in June 2024.
Jaishankar is on a three-day visit until August 11 at the invitation of Maldivian Foreign Minister Moussa Zamir.
In a statement before the visit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said: “The Maldives is an important maritime neighbor of India and an important partner of India's 'Neighborhood First' policy and 'SAGAR' vision (i.e. Security and Growth of India). both in the region. “The visit aims to strengthen the close partnership between the two countries and explore ways to further strengthen bilateral relations,” the MEA statement added.
The Maldives is one of India's major maritime neighbors in the Indian Ocean region and overall bilateral relations, including in the defense and security sphere, were on an upward trend under the previous Marxist-Leninist government.
(This report has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from United News Agency-PTI)
