PM Modi meets Muizzu critic Nasheed, 'a strong advocate of deeper India-Maldives friendship'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met the former president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, on the second day of his trip to the island-nation.

“Spoke about how the Maldives will always be a valued pillar of our ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and Mahasagar vision. India will keep supporting Maldives through capacity building and developmental cooperation,” PM Modi said on X.

Met the former President of Maldives, Mr. Mohamed Nasheed. He has always been a strong advocate of deeper India-Maldives friendship.

Spoke about how the Maldives will always be a valued pillar of our ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and Mahasagar vision. India will keep supporting… pic.twitter.com/4N33p4qn9l

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 26, 2025

The Indian prime minister also met the Maldives’ Vice President Uz. Hussain Mohamed Latheef and Abdul Raheem Abdulla, Speaker of the People’s Majlis. The high-level meetings came a day after PM Modi held several bilateral talks with President Mohamed Muizzu.

Later today, PM Modi will attend the Maldives’ Independence Day celebrations as the chief guest.

Congratulate the Government and the people of Maldives on the diamond jubilee celebrations of their Independence.

Honoured to join PM @narendramodi for the Independence Day celebrations in Malé today.

We celebrate 60 years of 🇮🇳 🇲🇻 diplomatic relations as well, reiterating… pic.twitter.com/HYJ69Zaypx

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 26, 2025

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His first day in the Maldives was productive, as Male seeks to reset ties with India after a year of heightening tensions between the two countries that disrupted tourism in the island nation.

India has announced a fresh line of credit for the Maldives worth $565 million and the two countries signed an agreement to reduce their annual debt repayment burden by 40 per cent.

The two sides sealed six pacts in the fields of fisheries and aquaculture, meteorology, digital public infrastructure, UPI, Indian pharmacopoeia, and for India’s concessional line of credit to the island nation.

“For us, it is always friendship first,” Modi said in his media statement, adding the “roots of our relations are older than history, and as deep as the ocean.”

The outcomes of the Modi-Muizzu talks signalled a major turnaround in the relationship after a spell of unease and tension. The renewed intensity in the ties assumes significance as Muizzu came to power in November 2023 on the back of an “India Out” campaign.