President Muizzu meets with Indian EAM Dr. Jaishankar

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, during his current official visit to India, has met with the country’s External Affairs Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

Speaking about their meeting, the Indian External Affairs Minister said in a post on X, that he appreciated the Maldivian President’s commitment towards enhancing the India-Maldives relationship.

“Confident that his talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow will give a new impetus to our friendly ties,” Dr. Jaishankar added in the post.

President Muizzu, who flew to India on Sunday on his first state official state visit on the invitation of Indian President Droupaid Murmu, will conclude his trip this Thursday.

During his visit, President Muizzu is expected to meet with Indian President Murmu and Prime Minister Modi along with other senior government officials of the country. This is President Muizzu’s first such official visit to India since assuming office, though he earlier visited the country to attend Narendra Modi’s swearing in ceremony.

Generally, most Maldivian presidents, after officially taking up presidential responsibilities, make their first formal visit to the South Asian neighbor and ally. However, President Muizzu’s first state visit was to Turkey, after which he next visited China.

Not long after, several Maldivian ministers made various visits to India while Dr. Jaishankar recently visited the Maldives on a trip as well.

Relations between the two South Asian neighbors soured after the current ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) and Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM)-led coalition came to power, which, during its time as the opposition, mounted an “India-Out” campaign aimed at deporting the country’s military personnel stationed in the Maldives.

The weakening ties further severed after three high-level Maldivian government officials derided Indian Prime Minister on social media, which attract widespread criticism from the Indian citizens, celebrities and politicians.

However, the relations between India and the Maldives have been on the mend more recently owing various efforts led by Maldivian senior government officials.