New Delhi. Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu arrived in New Delhi on Sunday morning to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is Muizzu’s first visit to India after becoming the President of Maldives in November last year. President Muizzu is among the leaders of seven neighbouring and Indian Ocean region countries who will attend the swearing-in ceremony of Modi and his Council of Ministers at Rashtrapati Bhavan this evening. “Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu arrived in New Delhi to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi and his Council of Ministers, where he was given a warm welcome,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on social media platform ‘X’.
“India and Maldives are maritime partners and close neighbours,” he said. Bangladesh President Sheikh Hasina and Seychelles Vice President Ahmed Afeef have already reached Delhi. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, other leaders attending the ceremony include Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay. “The participation of these leaders in the swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi for his third consecutive term highlights India’s ‘Neighbour First’ policy and ‘SAGAR’ vision,” the ministry said.
Muizzu’s visit: An important step for India-Maldives relations
Under the broad policy framework of ‘SAGAR’, India is cooperating with countries in the Indian Ocean region. Apart from attending the swearing-in ceremony, all the leaders will attend a banquet hosted by President Draupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The invitation extended by New Delhi to Muizzu for the swearing-in ceremony is significant in view of recent tensions between India and Maldives. Relations between India and Maldives have been strained since Muizzu, who is considered pro-China, took office in November last year. Shortly after taking charge, Muizzu ordered the withdrawal of Indian military personnel deployed in the Maldives. After this, civilian security personnel were deployed in place of Indian military personnel earlier this month.