WATCH: Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s Filmy Response To India And Maldives’ ‘Dooriyan-Nazdeekiyan’

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri responded to a poser on the nature of the India-Maldives bilateral ties referencing film names while assuring that the friendship between the two nations will continue.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri addressed the future of India-Maldives relations on Monday, assuring that the friendship between the two nations will continue to flourish. Responding to a question regarding the nature of the bilateral ties, he remarked, “Dooriyan, Nazdeekiyan, Ittefaq mujhe nahi lagta ke aap aur filmon ke naam ek question mein daal sakte the ek saath. Toh Main apne jawaab mein sirf yeh keh deta hoon ki yaarana jaari rahega," which translates to, "Dooriyan, Nazdeekiyan, Ittefaq I don't think you can name more films in one question. So, I will just say that the friendship will continue."

The discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu centred largely on strengthening bilateral ties. When asked by news agency ANI if China was a topic during the discussions, Misri clarified, “The talks majorly focused on bilateral ties, but some regional issues were also discussed. Without going into the specifics, the discussion was largely focused on the bilateral relationship and the expanse that is there in our bilateral relationship, the development partnership, the people-to-people linkages, the economic and trade relationship... it has been decided to begin discussions on a Free Trade Agreement.”

PM Modi And Maldives President Muizzu's Bilateral Talks In Delhi

The meeting between PM Modi and President Muizzu took place at Hyderabad House, followed by delegation-level talks that included External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh among other delegates.

In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi wrote, “I am delighted to welcome President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu to India. During our talks today, we discussed ways to improve economic linkages, connectivity, cultural connect and also cooperation in sectors like climate change, water resources, agriculture, fisheries and more.”

Maldives President Muizzu, who arrived in India on Sunday for a five-day visit, was accorded a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan earlier in the day. President Droupadi Murmu and PM Modi welcomed the Maldivian President and First Lady Sajidha Mohamed upon their arrival. Following their reception, Muizzu and the First Lady paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat and signed the visitors' book at the memorial.