VInit wahi / NEW DELHI
President of the Maldives, Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, has arrived in New Delhi on a five-day state visit to India. Dr. Muizzu was received by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh on his arrival at the airport. In a social media post, the External Affairs Ministry’s spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said that the visit will provide further boost to the long-standing India-Madives comprehensive bilateral partnership.
Later in the evening, External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar called on Dr. Muizzu and appreciated his commitment to enhance the India-Maldives relationship. Dr. Jaishankar also expressed confidence that tomorrow the talks between the Maldivian President and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will give a new impetus to friendly ties between the two countries.
Tomorrow in New Delhi, President Muizzu will be accorded a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhawan. He will also visit Rajghat and pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi. He will also hold discussions with Prime Minister Modi on bilateral, regional, and international issues of mutual interest. Several agreements are expected to be signed following the meeting.
The Maldivian President will also meet President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhawan tomorrow evening. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar will also call on the visiting dignitary. Dr. Muizzu will visit Agra and Mumbai on Tuesday and Bengaluru on Wednesday.
The Maldives is India’s key maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region and holds a special place in the Prime Minister’s vision of SAGAR and India’s Neighbourhood First Policy. The visit of the Maldivian President to India after the recent visit of the External Affairs Minister to the island nation is testimony to the importance that India attaches to its relations with the Maldives. The visit is expected to lend further momentum to cooperation and robust people-to-people ties between the two countries.