Maldives President Muizzu to attend Modi’s swearing-in; will be first trip since slide in bilateral relations

Despite ongoing tensions, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu on June 8 said that he would be honoured to attend Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony and his visit to India for the historic event would demonstrate that bilateral ties between the two countries are heading in a positive direction.

Maldivian officials in Male confirmed that Muizzu along with the country's foreign minister and a couple of other leaders will be travelling to New Delhi to attend the ceremony. 

Munu Mahawar, India's Higher Commissioner to the Maldives, presented the letter of invitation to the President during a courtesy call at the President's Office. 

Muizzu had congratulated Modi on his victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha election and said that he looked forward to working with the Indian leader to advance the bilateral ties.  

Muizzu will follow in the footsteps of his mentor and one of his predecessors, Abdullah Yameen, who came for Modi’s first oath-taking ceremony in May 2014. 

President Droupadi Murmu will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the prime minister and other members of the Union Council of Ministers at 7.15 pm on Sunday at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

India-Maldives relations 

Muizzu, who is seen as pro-China, had asked India to withdraw its military personnel from the island country soon after coming to power in November 2023. Muizzu had defeated Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in the presidential election on the “India Out” pitch. 

In February this year, the two countries had agreed that India would pull out all its 80-odd military personnel stationed in the Maldives between March 10 and May 10. This was completed by May 10.  

On May 9, Maldives Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer flew down to Delhi in the first high-level visit since Muizzu came to power and met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.  

In April, India approved the highest-ever export quotas for essential commodities — eggs, potatoes, onions, sugar, rice, wheat flour and pulses, river sand and stone aggregates — to the island nation for 2024-25. The approved quantities are the highest since this arrangement came into effect in 1981. 

Attendees of Modi’s swearing-in 

Leaders of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Mauritius and Seychelles have also been invited to the ceremony. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda have officially confirmed their attendance, and more confirmations are awaited.  

Modi’s invitation to the leaders from the neighbourhood is part of the engagement with the countries in the region. In 2014, he had called the leaders from SAARC countries and in 2019, he had invited the countries from BIMSTEC. While Pakistan was invited in 2014, as part of the SAARC grouping, it was left out in 2019 due to the deterioration of ties and the BIMSTEC regional grouping was invited instead.