New Delhi: Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu held a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the COP28 Summit in Dubai Friday, as relations between New Delhi and Malé teeter on the edge.
Statements from the Indian ministry of external affairs (MEA) and the Maldives President’s Office indicate that the two leaders agreed to set up a high-level committee to further strengthen development and economic cooperation between their nations.
“Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries. They also highlighted the importance of development and economic cooperation, people to people contacts between the two countries and discussed ways to enhance this, including setting up a high level committee,” read a statement from the Maldives President’s Office.
The statement from the MEA referred to this committee as a “core group”.
This comes weeks after Muizzu, in his first speech as the island nation’s leader, vowed to remove all foreign military personnel from his country including Indian troops. “The country will not have any foreign military personnel in the Maldives. When it comes to our security, I will draw a red line. The Maldives will respect the red lines of other countries too,” he said after being sworn in before the country’s Chief Justice.
In mid-November, PM Modi had decided to skip Muizzu’s oath-taking ceremony in Malé, which Union Minister Kiren Rijiju attended instead. During a meeting between Muizzu and Rijiju, the former reiterated his demand that New Delhi must withdraw its military presence from the island nation.
In late-November, the Maldives President and First Lady departed for an official visit to Turkey, unlike previous presidents who have traditionally visited India on their first overseas trip upon taking office.
In 2018, when Ibrahim Mohamed Solih won the presidential election, his first overseas trip was to New Delhi. He and his wife were also invited to stay at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Indian President’s residence, during their visit which — a special gesture usually reserved for close guests. Modi had also flown down for Solih’s oath taking ceremony.
In 2013, when Abdulla Yameen won the election, his first trip, too, was to India.
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‘Maldives-China ties will thrive under Muizzu’
On the sidelines of the COP28 Summit, the Maldives President also held a bilateral meeting with Chinese First Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang.
According to a statement from the Maldives government, Muizzu expressed his desire to further strengthen relations between Malé and Beijing, adding that China is “one of the most important development partners” of the island country.
“At the meeting, President Dr Muizzu expressed his desire to further strengthen the relations between the Maldives and China. Noting that China is one of the most important development partners of the Maldives, the President expressed hopes for enhancing Chinese cooperation towards the development of the Maldives in the years to come,” read a statement from the Maldives President’s Office.
The Chinese official, added the statement, expressed optimism that the bilateral relationship will “continue to thrive during President Dr Muizzu’s tenure”.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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