EAM Jaishankar calls on visiting Maldives President Muizzu, appreciates commitment to enhance bilateral ties

New Delhi, Oct 6 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar called on Mohamed Muizzu, shortly after the Maldivian President arrived in New Delhi on a five-day state visit - his first since assuming office - at the invitation of President Droupadi Murmu.

"Pleased to call on President Mohamed Muizzu today at the start of his State Visit to India. Appreciate his commitment to enhance India-Maldives relationship. Confident that his talks with PM Narendra Modi tomorrow will give a new impetus to our friendly ties," posted EAM Jaishankar on X after his meeting with the Maldives President.

Earlier, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh received Muizzu as he arrived at the Delhi airport along with a high-level delegation.

During the visit, Muizzu will hold meetings with President Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior officials of the Indian government.

A ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan is scheduled for Monday which will be followed by Muizzu visiting Rajghat and paying tributes to Mahatma Gandhi. He will then hold bilateral discussions with PM Modi at the Hyderabad House. Later on Monday, he is scheduled to meet Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and President Murmu.

Accompanied by First Lady Sajidha Mohamed and senior ministers from his Cabinet, the Maldives President will be visiting Agra on Tuesday.

"President Dr Muizzu remains committed to enhancing bilateral ties with nations that play a crucial role in the development and growth of the Maldives, ensuring a dynamic and proactive foreign policy for the nation... Discussions will focus on strengthening bilateral cooperation and further enhancing the longstanding relationship between the two nations," Muizzu's office said in a statement on Friday.

He will also be visiting Mumbai and Bengaluru for business engagements.

Earlier this year, the Maldives President had attended the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Modi and the Council of Ministers at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on June 9, 2024.

He had also met PM Modi on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai on December 1, 2023.

"The visit signifies the importance India attaches to its relations with Maldives. It is expected to lend further momentum to cooperation and robust people-to-people ties between the two countries," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said last week.

In August, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar had visited Maldives on an official three-day visit, his first since assuming the office for a second term in June.

Before that, he had previously visited the strategically-significant Indian Ocean archipelago in January 2023 as India maintained that Maldives occupies an important place in New Delhi's vision of 'Neighbourhood First' and 'SAGAR'.

Even as the relationship between the two countries became strained last year, India remained a key provider of development assistance to the island nation with several projects funded by India benefitting the lives of thousands of people in the country.

--IANS

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