Amid a diplomatic standoff between India and the Maldives, the Maldivian foreign minister Moosa Zameer on Wednesday arrived in India for his first official visit to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries. Zameer's visit comes in less than a month since Muizzu's party attained a landslide victory in Maldives' parliamentary elections and with India almost halfway through its Lok Sabha polling.
As a part of his visit, the Maldivian minister held talks with his Indian counterpart, Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar, today to deliberate upon the issues of mutual interest for both nations in a bid to lend momentum to bilateral cooperation.
During his meeting with Moosa Zameer in Delhi, Jaishankar welcomed the Maldivian Foreign Minister and stated: "This is your first visit to India in your current capacity. It provides an opportunity to discuss our relationship and chart out future directions. As close and proximate neighbours, the development of our ties is obviously based on mutual interests and reciprocal sensitivity. I hope that our meeting today will enable us to strengthen the convergence of our perspectives in various domains."
Stressing the value of close partnerships with neighbours, Jaishankar stated: "The world is today passing through a volatile and uncertain period. In such times, as we saw during COVID, natural disasters and economic difficulties, close partnerships with neighbors are of great value. So, today, we will be reviewing the various dimensions of our ties. It is in our common interest that we reach an understanding of how best we take our relationship forward."
"As far as India is concerned, these are articulated in terms of our Neighbourhood First policy and SAGAR vision. I hope that our meeting today has enabled us to strengthen the convergence of our perspectives in various domains," EAM Dr S Jaishankar told the Maldivian Foreign Minister.
Earlier, in an official statement, the MEA had stated that Moosa Zameer would be arriving in India on his official visit, and also expressed hope that his visit would give momentum to the bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also welcomed the Maldivian Minister on his arrival, saying, "Warm welcome to Moosa Zameer of Maldives on his official visit to India. Discussions on bilateral & regional issues and seeking ways to provide impetus to our multifaceted relationship lie ahead."
The ties between India and Maldives, which is a key maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region, were strained after Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu insisted Indian military personnel operating three military platforms to withdraw from the island nation and Muizzu's efforts to deepen ties with China.
The Maldivian President had set May 10 as the deadline for the Malé-based Indian military contingent to leave the country. Till now, 51 Indian soldiers have been withdrawn by India from Maldives.