 "Jaishankar lands in Maldives, says island country occupies important place in India's ‘Neighbourhood First’ vision")
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday landed in Male on a three-day official visit to reset the bilateral ties with Maldives, and said that the island country occupies an important place in India’s vision of ‘Neighbourhood First’.
Jaishankar’s visit to the country is the first high-level trip from India after the country’s pro-China President Mohamed Muizzu assumed office last year.
Pleased to arrive in Maldives. Thank Foreign Minister @MoosaZameer for receiving me at the airport.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) August 9, 2024
Maldives occupies an important place in our vision of ‘Neighbourhood First’ & ‘SAGAR’.
Looking forward to fruitful engagements with the leadership.
🇮🇳 🇲🇻 pic.twitter.com/QTIph7rIEF
Taking to X, Jaishankar posted, “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’. Looking forward to fruitful engagements with the leadership."
Meanwhile, Zameer, who received Jaishankar at the airport, also took to X to express his happiness to welcome his Indian counterpart on his official visit to the Maldives.
Delighted to welcome Minister of External Affairs of India H.E. @DrSJaishankar on his official visit to the Maldives.
— Moosa Zameer (@MoosaZameer) August 9, 2024
Looking forward to having meaningful discussions to further solidify the historic ties between #Maldives and #India! pic.twitter.com/25Y60xKbp3
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“Delighted to welcome Minister of External Affairs of India H.E. @DrSJaishankar on his official visit to the Maldives.Looking forward to having meaningful discussions to further solidify the historic ties between #Maldives and #India!” Zameer posted on X.
This marks Jaishankar’s first official visit to the Maldives since beginning his second term in June 2024, with his last visit having been in January 2023.
The three-day trip, which runs until August 11, is at the invitation of Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer.
During his visit, Jaishankar is set to meet with President Muizzu and engage in official discussions with Zameer to assess and review current 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.
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.
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.
With inputs from agencies
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
