Union Minister of Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju will represent India at the oath-taking ceremony of Maldivian President-elect Mohamed Muizzu.
Mr. Rijiju will be on a two-day official visit to the island nation from November 16 at the invitation of the President-elect of the Maldives, Dr. Mohamed Muizzu.
He will represent India at the inaugural ceremony of the Presidency, the Ministry of External Affairs said in an official release.
The Maldives notably holds a significant position in the Prime Minister's vision of "SAGAR" (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and the "Neighbourhood First Policy," thus making it India's principal maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
According to the MEA, this high level of Ministerial representation from India at the inaugural ceremony underscores India's commitment to further deepen substantive cooperation and robust people-to-people ties between the two countries.
India had received an invitation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the oath-taking ceremony of Maldives President-elect Mohamed Muizzu, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.
Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) candidate Mr. Muizzu won the Maldivian Presidential elections last month.
He won with more than 53% of the vote in the second round of voting, after emerging as the frontrunner in the first round with 46% votes, followed by Ibrahim Solih's 39%.
Prime Minister Modi had also congratulated Muizzu on his victory. "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," PM Modi had posted on X (formerly Twitter).
