Maldivian President Mohammed Muizzu will visit India from 7 to 9 October next month with the aim of eradicating the sourness in relations between India and Maldives. Before this tour, Muizzu had come to India to participate in the swearing-in ceremony of PM Modi. During the visit next month, Muizzu will hold important meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Indian leaders. His visit is also being considered special because after becoming the President, Muizzu had decided to send Indian troops back from Maldives through the ‘India Out’ campaign in 2023. After this decision of Muizzu, Maldives’ relations with India had turned sour.
However, in recent months there have been signs of improvement in relations between the two countries. India sent civilian experts to replace the military personnel deployed in Maldives, bringing warmth back into relations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also invited Muizzu to his swearing-in ceremony. At that time also Muizzu had come to India. After his visit, Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar visited Maldives in August. During this period, many important projects were agreed between India and Maldives, which also included the launch of India’s UPI system in Maldives.
Before his visit to India, Muizzu recently described India as Maldives’ closest ally and invaluable partner. His statement is being considered a big step towards improving relations between the two countries. Apart from this, just before the announcement of Muizzu’s visit, the resignations of two junior ministers of Maldives were taken due to the derogatory comments made on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This made it clear that Muizzu’s government is serious about improving relations with India.
India has also played an important role in maintaining the economic stability of Maldives. State Bank of India increased the subscription of Maldives’ treasury bills by $50 million, helping Maldives avoid default on Islamic bond payments. Experts believe that this visit of Muizzu will be an important step towards bringing relations with India back on track, and will establish stronger relations between the two countries.
