Maldivian President Muizzu Says Honoured To Attend PM Modi's Oath Ceremony

Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu said on Saturday that he would be honoured to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony and his first visit to India for the historic event would demonstrate that bilateral ties are heading in a "positive direction".

Muizzu's remarks came as he accepted the invitation to attend Prime Minister Modi's swearing-in ceremony in New Delhi. Modi will be administered the oath of office on Sunday, his third consecutive term as Prime Minister.

President Muizzu has accepted the invitation to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Modi and the Council of Ministers of the Government of India, his office said in a statement.

This will mark the pro-China president's first official visit to India since assuming office on November 17 last year. Unlike his predecessors, who made the first port of call to New Delhi after assuming office, Muizzu had travelled to Turkiye first and to China for his first state visit in January.

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.

At the call, the High Commissioner extended greetings from Prime Minister Modi, stating that the Prime Minister is looking forward to having the President attend this momentous ceremony marking his third swearing-in as Prime Minister of India, the statement said.

The President expressed his gratitude to the Prime Minister for the invitation, adding that he would be honoured to attend this historic event.

He also stated that he looks forward to working with the Prime Minister to further strengthen the close relations with India, noting that the Maldives-India relationship is heading in a positive direction, as would be demonstrated by this visit.

The President thanked the High Commissioner for personally delivering the invitation.

Muizzu's office, however, did not disclose when he would be leaving for India.

Earlier on Wednesday, Muizzu had congratulated Modi and voiced his desire to work with the Indian prime minister to advance the bilateral ties. "Congratulations to Prime Minister @narendramodi and the BJP and BJP-led NDA, on the success in the 2024 Indian General Election, for the third consecutive term.

"I look forward to working together to advance our shared interests in pursuit of shared prosperity and stability for our two countries," Muizzu posted on X.

Within hours of his oath in November last year, Muizzu had demanded the removal of 88-odd Indian military personnel from his country, straining bilateral ties. The military personnel were repatriated from three aviation platforms and replaced by civilians from India by the May 10 deadline set by Muizzu.

The swearing-in ceremony is expected to witness the presence of top leaders from neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Mauritius, and Seychelles, in addition to the Maldives, as part of India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy.

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