Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu arrives in India for first bilateral meet

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu arrived at Delhi airport on Sunday along with first lady Sajidha Mohamed. During this visit, he will hold meetings with President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior officials.


The president is scheduled to be in India from October 6 to 10, marking first Muizzu's first bilateral visit to India. He had earlier visited India in June to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers.


Upon landing, President Muizzu met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who took to social media platform X to share the meeting.

"Pleased to call on President Mohammed Muizzu today at the start of his State Visit to India. Appreciate his commitment to enhance the India-Maldives relationship. Confident that his talks with PM Narendra Modi tomorrow will give a new impetus to our friendly ties," said Jaishankar.

Strained relationships

India's relationship with the Maldives came under strain since Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, took charge as the President. Within hours of his oath, he had demanded the withdrawal of Indian military personnel manning three aviation platforms gifted by India to the Maldives. After talks between the two sides, the Indian military personnel were replaced by civilians.


Last month, Maldives Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer acknowledged that the Maldives-India ties witnessed rough patches in the initial days of President Mohammad Muizzu-led government but insisted that the two countries have resolved the "misunderstandings".

He said that relations with India had faced challenges, particularly following President Muizzu's campaign to remove a small contingent of Indian troops from the Maldives.

Zameer said that the "misunderstandings" between the two countries have been resolved following the repatriation of Indian troops from the Maldives.


"At the start of our government, we did have some rough patches (with India), you know," Zameer has been quoted as saying by The Edition newspaper.

"(We) have good relations with both China and India, and both countries continue to support Maldives," he said.

Things between India and Maldives escalated after three Maldivian deputy ministers made controversial remarks regarding India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media. Maldives Foreign Ministry distanced itself from their remarks, and the three junior ministers were suspended.

Unlike his predecessors, who made the first port of call to New Delhi after assuming office, Muizzu travelled to Turkiye first and to China for his first state visit in January.