Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to meet Maldives counterpart, Moosa Zameer today
Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar arrived in Male for a three-day official visit to reset the bilateral relationship with the Maldives. This is the first high-level trip from India after Maldives’s pro-China president Mohamed Muizzu assumed office last year. The agenda of this visit is to hold bilateral discussions with President Muizzu and Minister Zameer. During this three-day visit, S Jaishankar will also observe the progress of the Thilamalé bridge, a project funded by India’s loan assistance. Jaishankar will also be traveling to Addu to inspect Addu’s road development and the Hankede project. These are ongoing projects supported by India. The primary focus of this visit remains to be on exploring new avenues for advancing the bilateral relations between the two countries. The goal of the meetings with Maldivian leadership is expected to be to restore trust and dialogue and stabilize the relations after months of tension. S. Jaishankar will most likely also be addressing Maldive’s pivot towards China and share India’s concerns about Chinese influence and investments in the Maldives.
S Jaishankar arrived in Maldives
Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar took to X upon landing and tweeted- “Pleased to arrive in Maldives. Thank you Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer for receiving me at the airport. Maldives occupies an important place in our vision of ‘Neighbourhood First’ & ‘SAGAR’. Looking forward to fruitful engagements with the leadership.”
India Maldives relation: Before and after Mohamed Muizzu came to power
Located south of India’s Lakshadweep Islands, the archipelago country of Maldives has shared ties with India since its independence from British rule in 1996. India was one of the first nations to recognize Maldives’ independence. The countries developed close strategic, military, economic, and cultural relations, since then. Even during the COVID-19 crisis of 2020, India extended help to Maldives in the form of financial, material, and logistical support. Despite India’s support, a certain group in the Maldives, mainly the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the People’s National Congress (PNC) (the opposition parties of 2022) officially launched a campaign called ‘India Out’ in October 2020. ‘India Out’ fueled hatred by creating skepticism for India’s investments in Maldives amidst allegations of India’s expansionist ambitions. This campaign was mainly done to provoke nationalist sentiments in the citizens of Maldives that would ultimately profit the opposition parties in winning the elections. The opposition succeded in their intentions when the candidate for the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), Mohamed Muizzu, a pro-China campaigner assumed the role of president on November 17, 2023. This further fueled the “India out” agenda in the Maldives. Mohamed Muizzu recently visited India in June for the swearing-in of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his third term. This marked Muizzu’s first visit to the country since taking office.
India back in Maldives: Why the two countries faced a rift in their relationship?
The India-Maldives relations suffered a major blow in January 2024 when Maldivian officials targeted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with derogatory remarks. This did not sit right with the Indians and was seen extremely negatively in India. Considering India’s decades of support and financial contribution towards the Maldives, these comments hurt the sentiments of millions of Indians. Indian citizens called for a boycott of vacations in the Maldives, with many renowned Bollywood actors and personalities criticizing the Maldivian government. As a result of this boycott, thousands of Indian travelers canceled trips to the Maldives. This boycott left a significant impact on Maldives as in 2023, more than one in 10 arrivals were from India, making it the country’s largest source market. The number of Indian visitors to Maldives was more than 2.4 lakh in 2022 and over 2.11 lakh in 2021 which saw a sharp decline with only 36,840 visitors till May of 2024.
India Maldives news: Why does this visit serve grave importance?
This visit is important for both nations as it is the aftermath of strained relations between the two countries. After the recent events that took place in Bangladesh, India needs to pay close attention to its defense and foreign affairs. As India’s key maritime neighbor, it is crucial for India’s security concerns that the Maldives share a healthy relationship with India.
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