India reaffirms commitment to strengthen the time-tested bilateral relationship
India looks forward to engaging with the new administration in Maldives on all issues, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday (October 5, 2023).

Pointing out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first leader to congratulate Maldivian President-elect Mohamed Muizzu, MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India has always believed in working together with Maldives.

Prime Minister Modi conveyed and reaffirmed India's commitment to strengthen the time-tested India-Maldives bilateral relationship and enhancing overall cooperation in the Indian Ocean region, Bagchi added in response to questions at the weekly media briefing. 

Replying to a question on news reports about the Maldivian President-elect mentioning his intention to ask Indian troops to leave the Maldives, Bagchi said, "The focus of our partnership with Maldives has always been on capacity building and working together to address our shared challenges and priorities, you know, including security challenges and priorities'.

He added that as neighbours, India and the Maldives need to collaborate closely to address these challenges confronting the region, such as transnational crimes as well as HADR, Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief situations. "We look forward to engaging with the new administration in Maldives on all these issues," the MEA Spokesperson remarked.

"Let me take the opportunity to congratulate the Maldivian people for once again demonstrating their faith in democratic governance and constitutional processes that reflect their firm commitment to the values of democracy and the rule of law," he added.

Muizzu, who was the presidential candidate from the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), won the Maldivian elections on Saturday. This was the second round of polling after no candidate emerged as a clear winner in the first round.

"Congratulations and greetings to @MMuizzu on being elected as President of the Maldives. India remains committed to strengthening the time-tested India-Maldives bilateral relationship and enhancing our overall cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region," Prime Minister Modi wrote on his official handle in social media platform X.

On Wednesday, Indian High Commissioner to the Republic of Maldives Munu Mahawar met with the President-elect and conveyed Prime Minister Modi's congratulatory message. Their discussions also covered steps to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.

According to the MEA Spokesperson, the Indian High Commissioner had a good discussion on various aspects of the bilateral partnership, including development cooperation.