External Affairs minister Jaishankar reaches Maldives for 3-day official visit to reset bilateral ties

Male: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said the Maldives occupies an important place in India’s vision of ‘Neighbourhood First’ and that he was looking forward to “fruitful engagements” with the leadership of the archipelagic nation.

Jaishankar arrived here on a three-day official visit to reset the bilateral relationship with the Maldives, the first high-level trip from India after the country's pro-China president Mohamed Muizzu assumed office last year.

Jaishankar’s trip to the Maldives comes weeks after President Muizzu’s visit to India in June to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

The ties between India and the Maldives came under severe strain since Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, took charge of the top office in November 2023.

Within hours of his oath, he had demanded the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from his country. Subsequently, the Indian military personnel were replaced by civilians by May 10, the mutually agreed date.

“Pleased to arrive in Maldives. Thank Foreign Minister @MoosaZameer for receiving me at the airport. Maldives occupies an important place in our vision of ‘Neighbourhood First’ & ‘SAGAR’,” Jaishankar said in a post on X.

“Looking forward to fruitful engagements with the leadership,” he added.

Zameer said he was delighted to welcome Jaishankar on his official visit to the Maldives.

"Looking forward to having meaningful discussions to further solidify the historic ties between #Maldives and #India!" he posted on X.

This is the first official visit of Jaishankar to the Maldives since assuming office for a second term in June 2024. His previous visit was in January 2023.

Jaishankar’s three-day visit till August 11 comes at the invitation of his counterpart, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Maldives Moosa Zameer.

Jaishankar is expected to pay a courtesy call to President Muizzu and also hold official talks with Zameer to review the existing bilateral cooperation.

In a statement ahead of his visit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, “Maldives is India's key maritime neighbour and an important partner in India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy and our Vision 'SAGAR', that is, Security and Growth for All in the Region.” “The visit is aimed at strengthening the close partnership between the two countries and to explore avenues to enhance the bilateral relationship further,” the MEA statement added.

According to a statement from Maldives’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two ministers will inaugurate the completed projects under the High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDP) and Line of Credit facility of EXIM Bank of India and witness the exchange of Memorandum of Understanding on areas for capacity building, commerce and trade.

The Maldives is one of India's key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean region and the overall bilateral ties, including in the areas of defence and security, witnessed an upward trajectory under the previous government in Male.