Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit the Maldives for the Independence Day ceremony on July 26, according to some media reports from that country. The Indian newspaper “Times of India” reported that during Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullah Shahid’s trip to India last weekend for the second meeting of the High-Level Core Group established between India and Maldives, he conveyed an official invitation from President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu to Modi to attend the Independence Day event.
Although the exact date of Modi’s trip is not yet finalized, the Indian government is considering Modi’s participation in the official ceremony on July 26, the newspaper also said. However, neither the Maldivian nor the Indian government has officially commented on this matter so far. This would be Modi’s first visit to the Maldives since President Muizzu came to power. During the early days of President Muizzu’s administration, relations with India were quite tense, following a strong “India Out” campaign that claimed a large number of Indian military personnel were stationed in the Maldives during the previous government.
Subsequently, relations further deteriorated when some Maldivian deputy ministers made derogatory remarks about Modi in response to his campaign to promote India’s Lakshadweep islands as a tourism destination. This led to a strong social media campaign to boycott the Maldives, resulting in a significant decrease in Indian tourist arrivals. However, since then, especially due to efforts by senior foreign affairs officials from both countries, the relationship has greatly improved. In this regard, official visits by high-ranking officials and meetings to strengthen ties in various sectors have been held over the past year or so. President Muizzu also made his first state visit to India last October.
As part of the improving relations, India has provided assistance to the Maldives in addressing its economic and financial difficulties, including the dollar shortage. In this context, the Indian government has repeatedly postponed the repayment of Treasury bonds worth a total of $200 million sold by the previous government to the State Bank of India (SBI). Additionally, to improve foreign currency reserves, India has arranged a $400 million currency swap facility and established a mechanism allowing payment in Maldivian rufiyaa for essential goods imported from India.
