Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu Planning To Visit India ‘As Soon As Possible’

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu on Friday said that the archipelago nation has a very strong bilateral ties with India and he is planning to visit the country as soon as possible.

“I am planning to visit (India) as soon as possible…We have a very strong bilateral relationship,” President Muizzu said to news agency ANI on sidelines of 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Several media reports say that Muizzu may visit India in the second week of October. The visit is seen as an attempt to reset bilateral ties after an acrimonious period in the relationship.

Muizzu last visited New Delhi in June this year to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Ahead of his expected visit, Muizzu denied claims of following an ‘India Out’ policy, and asserted that the archipelago had a “serious problem” with the presence of foreign military on its soil.

While speaking at US’ Princeton University’s “Dean’s Leadership Series”, the archipelago nation’s President said, “We have never been against any one country at any point. It’s not India Out. Maldives faced a serious problem with foreign military presence on this soil.”

“The people of Maldives do not want a single foreign soldier in the country,” he added.

In August, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar visited Maldives. He, along with his Maldivian counterpart, Moosa Zameer inaugurated High Impact Community Development Projects and exchanged MoUs in Male.

Earlier this year, President Muizzu thanked India for its support of the island nation in easing its debt repayment and affirmed hope that New Delhi and Male would forge stronger ties and sign a free trade agreement.

The ties between India and the Maldives came under severe strain since November last year when Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, took charge as Maldivian president riding on an ‘India Out’ plank. He has taken several steps that have been unconventional from the point of view of India-Maldives ties.

Earlier almost every Maldivian President used to make his first foreign visit to India, but Muizzu changed the trend by first visiting Turkiye and then China, after coming to office earlier this year.

A day after he was sworn in as President, Muizzu “formally requested” the Indian government to “withdraw its military personnel” from the island nation. India withdrew its military personnel by May 10 and replaced them with civilian personnel to operate a Dornier aircraft and two helicopters.

Earlier this year, deputy ministers in Maldives’ youth ministry were suspended for derogatory social media posts against PM Modi following a backlash, with New Delhi strongly raising the matter with Male.

The deputy ministers criticised PM Modi for his post on social media platforms following his visit to Lakshadweep, inferring that it was an attempt to project the Union Territory as an alternative tourist destination to the Maldives.

PM Modi was in Lakshadweep on January 2 and 3 earlier this year to inaugurate several projects.

(With inputs from agencies)