Maldives President Ibu Solih arrived in Delhi for a bilateral visit on Monday, amid rows within his government over ties with India, the Yoga Day attack, and a bitter row with Maldivian Speaker, former President and party colleague Mohammad Nasheed. During his four-day visit, Mr. Solih will also visit Mumbai for two days, and is expected to focus on enhancing trade and connectivity between the two countries. On Tuesday, he will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bilateral talks, discuss strategic ties, and the status of infrastructure agreements between them, and sign a number of MoUs (Memoranda of Understanding), officials said.
Ahead of the meetings on Tuesday, where Mr. Solih will become the first visiting head of state to meet President Droupadi Murmu, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar called on Mr. Solih. “Our Neighbourhood First and Maldives’ India First policies are complementary. They take our special partnership forward,” Mr. Jaishankar tweeted.
“Both sides will celebrate the milestones, review existing projects, and set new targets for a stronger India-Maldives partnership,” said Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid in a statement.
