Yaarana jaari rahega: Watch foreign secy Vikram Misri's Bollywood-inspired response to describe India-Maldives ties

In a statement reflecting the deep-rooted ties between India and the Maldives, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri reaffirmed the strength of bilateral relations during an interaction with the press.

When a reporter asked about the future of India-Maldives relations using terms like 'dooriyan, nazdeekiyan, ittefaq' (distant, closeness and coincidence) in their question, Misri had a candid and Bollywood-inspired response.

Misri said, "I don't think you could add anymore names of movies in your question. Main apne jawaab mein sirf yeh keh deta hoon ki yaarana jaari rahega" (I can only say that this friendship will continue).



The statement came against the backdrop of Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu's state visit to India to further strengthen their partnership through various bilateral agreements.

Tensions between India and the Maldives have escalated since the election of President Mohamed Muizzu, who advocates closer ties with China. Muizzu's victory over pro-India incumbent Ibrahim Mohamed Solih came with a pledge to remove Indian soldiers stationed in the Maldives for humanitarian purposes. In response, India replaced many soldiers with civilian experts in May.

Earlier, in January, Maldivian leaders criticized Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for promoting India’s Lakshadweep islands as a tourist destination, which many in the Maldives saw as an attempt to divert Indian tourists. This led to protests and calls for a boycott of Maldivian tourism, a vital sector for the country's economy.

On Monday, both nations made numerous agreements including the recent signing of a Currency Swap Agreement between the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA).

The agreement, under the SAARC Currency Swap Framework 2024-27, will provide financing support to the Maldives with USD 400 million under the US Dollar/Euro Swap Window and INR 30 billion under the INR Swap Window.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldives President Muizzu held bilateral talks on Monday, primarily focusing on strengthening ties between the two nations.

In a press briefing, Misri highlighted that while some regional issues were discussed, the bulk of the conversation centered on bilateral relations, including development partnerships, trade, and people-to-people connections.

Responding to questions about China’s presence in the discussions, Misri clarified that the meeting concentrated on India-Maldives relations. He further announced that discussions on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries would begin.

The meeting, held at Hyderabad House, also included delegation-level talks attended by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Earlier in the day, President Muizzu was accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where he met President Droupadi Murmu and paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.