By Ibrahim H. Shihab/Maldives Review
Male, September 30: Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu will make his first official visit to India early in October, Indian media sources are reporting.
Muizzu’s upcoming visit was tentatively announced during a President’s Office press conference earlier this month, but no further details were provided at the time.
Indian newspapers, however, reported on Friday that Muizzu will be visiting India on a three-day trip scheduled to take place from 7 to 9 October.
While there has been no official word from President’s Office, Muizzu, during his visit, is scheduled to hold meetings with senior officials, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian media sources say.
Muizzu has visited India for Modi’s third inauguration as Prime Minister; however this will mark his first visit to the neighbouring power purely at a bilateral level.
India’s Minister of External Affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, visited the Maldives in August, where he met with government and opposition officials.
Ties between the two countries had been at a historic low early into the current administration’s tenure after President Muizzu came into office on the heels of the then-opposition’s ‘India Out’ campaign.
Relations further soured when Muizzu, in defiance of recent tradition, opted to not make India his first stop after taking office as President and additionally made an official visit to China before visiting India.
The situation deteriorated further with three Muizzu administration officials mocking and insulting Modi, leading to Indian social media influencers, as well as celebrities, to boycott and promote a boycott of the Maldives—drastically reducing the number of tourists visiting the Maldives from India.
Indian government officials had, however, remained largely above the fray, opting to use civil, diplomatic, and neutral language when commenting on the visibly declining relationship.
However, diplomatic engagement seems to have taken a positive turn with foreign ministers from both countries exchanging official visits to their counterpart nations and the Indian government choosing to roll over a US$50 million payment, due by the Maldives this year, to 2025.
Additionally, the administration in Malé appears to be more actively engaged in mending fences and returning to a more non-adversarial position as far as bilateral relations are concerned.
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