PM Modi's much-awaited Maldives visit to strengthen development partnership, solidify ties: Indian envoy

Male, July 24 (IANS) Highlighting India's role in the development of the island nation, India's High Commissioner to Maldives, G Balasubramanian said on Thursday that several key agreements are expected to be signed between the two nations during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day State Visit to Maldives, beginning Friday.

"This is an important visit for strengthening the bilateral relations between our two countries. This visit would be the third time that the Prime Minister would be visiting Maldives -- the first being in 2018 and then in 2019. This is also the first visit of a State head under the presidency of Mohammad Muizzu. This is also the first time the Maldives has invited someone to be the guest of honour for the Independence Day celebrations since 2017," Balasubramaniam told IANS in an exclusive interview.

PM Modi will undertake a State Visit to Maldives from July 25–26, at the invitation of the Maldives President, Mohamed Muizzu. This will be Prime Minister Modi's third visit to Maldives - he had visited the Indian Ocean archipelago in 2018 and 2019, earlier. Besides holding discussions with Muizzu, PM Modi will also be the 'Guest of Honour' at the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Independence of Maldives on July 26.

President Muizzu was on a State Visit to India in October 2024. He also visited New Delhi to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new government that had been elected earlier in the year. Both leaders had also met on the sidelines of the COP meeting in Dubai.

Noting that 60th anniversary of Maldives Independence Day coincides with the 60th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties, Balasubramaniam said, "The 60th anniversary of the Independence Day of the Maldives also coincides with the sixtieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries. India was one of the first countries to recognise the independence of the Maldives in 1965. Since then, we have been having very friendly, very close diplomatic relations. To commemorate this particular milestone of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, our Prime Minister and Maldives President will also be releasing a commemorative stamp to celebrate this event. So this is another important milestone in our relationship."

PM Modi will arrive in Maldives on July 25 which would be the second and final leg of his two-nation visit, following the visit to the United Kingdom. High Commissioner Balasubramanian said that, during his visit, PM Modi would be handing over about 4,000 housing complexes that we had constructed under the buyer's credit.

Elaborating on PM Modi's engagements in Maldives, he said, "After attending the Independence Day event on July 26, he would be having bilateral meetings with President Muizzu. Other important events that he would be attending would be inaugurating some of the projects that we had undertaken, handing over of them, signing MOUs, and exchanging MOUs. It would be a full schedule for our Prime Minister during this visit. Both leaders would be reviewing the progress that had been made on the vision document that was declared last year during the State Visit of President Muizzu to India in October 2024, which was a comprehensive partnership on economic and maritime security. We are also signing some of the MOUs, which are the main part of the official visit."

Balasubramaniam stated that PM Modi will also have some private engagements along with official meetings. He said that PM Modi will interact with Indian diaspora, meet Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) candidates who have been trained in India and some people from the 'Bharat ko Janiye' quiz.

When asked about India's role in the development of Maldives, he responded, "India has been one of the largest development partners for the Maldives. Since 2014, our assistance has been in terms of infrastructure development, capacity building or even emergency financial assistance in terms of currency swap and other things. The total financial assistance from 2014 is more than $3 billion. Many of the projects that we have undertaken in the Maldives are high-impact community development projects, which are done through grants from the Indian government. There are various lines of credit projects. There are various buyers' credit projects.

"For example, our Prime Minister would be handing over about 4,000 housing complexes that we had constructed under the buyer's credit. The other HICDP projects have a direct impact on the community of the Maldives. More than 78 set projects have been undertaken. Some of them would be handed over by the Prime Minister because this is an ongoing cooperation between our two countries. Under the Line of Credit, some projects have been undertaken, whether in Addu or other parts of the country. Those would also be handed over," he added."

With PM Modi slated to inaugurate some infrastructure projects and also announce new initiatives, the visit reflects the importance India attaches to its maritime neighbour, Maldives, which continues to hold a special place in India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy and Vision MAHASAGAR.

--IANS

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