Jaishankar to visit Maldives from August 9 to strengthen bilateral ties
The visit will be the first by Jaishankar to the Maldives in his second term as the foreign minister, and it follows Muizzu’s recent trip to India
External affairs minister S Jaishankar will make an official visit to the Maldives during August 9-11 to strengthen the bilateral partnership and to explore new avenues for cooperation after ties were hit by Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s efforts to move his country closer to China.
The Maldives is India’s “key maritime neighbour and an important partner” in New Delhi’s “Neighbourhood First” policy and the vision of SAGAR or Security and Growth for All in the Region, the external affairs ministry said while announcing the visit on Thursday.
. Jaishankar last visited the Maldives in January 2023.
“The visit is aimed at strengthening the close partnership between the two countries and to explore avenues to enhance the bilateral relationship further,” the ministry said.
Ties between India and the Maldives took a hit last year after Muizzu, who came to power in a presidential election on the back of an “India Out” campaign, demanded the removal of more than 80 Indian military personnel deployed in the Indian Ocean archipelago to operate two helicopters and an aircraft used mainly for medical evacuation and humanitarian relief operations. India completed the process of replacing the military personnel with civilian experts earlier this year.
Muizzu also took a range of steps to reduce the Maldives’ dependence on India for food security and healthcare and also signed a raft of agreements with China, including one on military equipment and training.
However, both India and the Maldives have made efforts in recent weeks to reset ties and Maldivian foreign minister Moosa Zameer visited New Delhi in May for discussions with Indian leaders.