Maldives President Mohammed Muizzu is on an official state visit to India from October 6 to 10, 2024. The President's visit comes after a brief controversial row erupted between New Delhi and Male over derogatory remarks made towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi by former members of Muizzu's cabinet.
This visit will mark Muizzu's first, following his brief stay in New Delhi for the swearing-in ceremony of PM Modi's third term in June.
Mohammed Muizzu was elected president of the Maldives in September 2023 after a strong "India Out" campaign. Within the first few days of his term, the president called for the urgent withdrawal of Indian troops from the island.
Following Muizzu's India Out stance, tensions between both the neighbours increased and reached a new low in January 2024 after PM Modi's visit to Lakshadweep was not well received by certain members of the Maldives government.
Amid the row, Muizzu visited China, which was his first visit since taking over as President. This visit to Beijing was also seen as a diplomatic snub to India
However, in the past few months, relations between New Delhi and Male have improved and both countries are working towards better relations, especially due to India's "Neighbourhood First" policy
Muizzu's India Visit - What's On Agenda?
Muizzu's visit to India comes during a major economic crisis in Maldives.Last month, global agency Moody downgraded Maldives' credit rating and stated that the country's "default risks have risen materially".
With this visit, a potential bailout package with India is expected to be finalised.
With a bailout from India, the archipelago's foreign currency reserves will increase. Maldives' forex reserves stood at $440m (£334m) in September 2024, which is just enough for one-and-a-half months of imports.
"President Muizzu’s visit is a turnaround in several ways. Most notably, the visit is a realisation of how dependent the Maldives is on India, a dependency that no other country will find easy to fill,” Azim Zahir, a Maldives analyst and lecturer at the University of Western Australia, told BBC.
As per the official statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, President Muizzu will meet with President Droupadi Murmu and hold discussions with PM Modi on "bilateral, regional, and international issues of mutual interest."
Apart from his visit to New Delhi, the Maldivian president will also fly out to Mumbai and Bangalore to attend business events and push for greater cooperation between India and Maldives.
