Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi held meeting on Monday in New Delhi's Hyderabad House during Muizzu's first bilateral trip to India. Ahead of the meeting, Muizzu who is accompanied by First Lady Sajidha Mohamed and a Maldivian delegation, was accorded a ceremonial welcome and given guard of honour at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. 


Earlier in the day, Muizzu visited the Rajghat where he paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi by laying a wreath. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh accompanied him to Rajghat.






On Sunday, the Ministry of External Affairs said that the "visit will provide a further boost to this long-standing India-Maldives comprehensive bilateral partnership".





The Maldivian President first visited India to attend the swearing-in ceremony of PM Modi in June this year, but the current visit is his first bilateral visit. 


Bilateral Meeting, Exchanging MoUs


Muizzu thanked Modi for the decision by the Indian government to provide support in the form of Rs 30 billion (USD 360 million) in addition to the USD 400 million bilateral currency swap agreement. 


Following the meeting, PM Modi described the "development partnership" as an important pillar of New Delhi-Male ties and asserted that India has always given preference to the priorities of the people of Maldives. 


"Development partnership is an important pillar of our (India-Maldives) relations. We have always given preference to the priorities of the people of Maldives. This year, SBI did a rollover of 100 million dollars of the Treasury Bench of Maldives. As per the needs of the Maldives, a 400 million dollars and Rs 3000 crore currency swap agreement was also signed," said PM Modi. 


The two leaders witnessed the first transaction of RuPay card payments launched in the Maldives today. They also virtually inaugurated the runway of Hanimaadhoo International Airport in the island nation. 


Ibrahim Shaheeb, the High Commissioner of Maldives to India and Rajendra Kumar, the Secretary of Border Management in the Ministry of Home Affairs signed a Memorandum of Understanding between Rashtriya Raksha University of India and the National College of Policing and Law Enforcement of Maldives. 


They also signed an MoU between the Central Bureau of India and the Anti-Corruption Commission of Maldives for bilateral cooperation on preventing and combating corruption.


The MoU between the National Judicial Authority of India (NJAI) and the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) of Maldives was renewed for Training and Capacity Building Programs for Maldivian judicial officers.


The MoU between India and Maldives for cooperation in Sports and Youth Affairs was also renewed during the meeting.