The Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu plans to attend a state visit in India from October 7th to 9th, which surely was the forerunner in restoring the intimacy after the strained period. Close sources to the issue corroborated this visit because India and Maldives have been through several strains. Muizzu last visited New Delhi during the swearing-in ceremony of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 9 with leaders from seven regional countries.
This upcoming trip will be Muizzu’s first official bilateral visit to India ever since the start of his administration in November 2023 after the country had launched ‘India Out’ which sought to decrease the Maldives’ overdependence on India. Earlier, his administration had demanded about ‘85 Indian military personnel’ who were deployed in Maldives to operate three aircraft. The animosity grew worse in December when Muizzu’s government terminated a 2019 bilateral deal on hydrographic cooperation with India and started widening defense cooperation with China and Turkey.
However, the last few months have given a positive signal regarding the relationship between Maldives and India. After India surrendered its stratum of military hierarchy to civilian technicians for humanitarian crisis operations management, Muizzu was surprised to get an invite to Modi’s inauguration ceremony. The level of animosity in the Maldivian government’s diplomatic communication has decreased, and there is an emphasis on working towards reconciliation.
Moreover, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar flew to the Maldives in August and agreed to integrate India’s UPI into the archipelago. Some of the projects commissioned during this visit were funded through Indian grants and loans to underline the Indian support for the development of the Maldives. Muizzu has lately used the word India as one of the closest allies and invaluable partners, suggesting a new face to the relationship between India and the Maldives.
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