New Delhi, Oct 6: Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu is all set to begin his five-day (October 6-10) state visit to India Sunday following an official invitation extended by his Indian counterpart Droupadi Murmu, an official said.

After assuming office, this will be Muizzu's first bilateral visit, during which he is scheduled to hold high-level meetings with President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior officials of the Indian government.

Earlier this year, the Maldives President attended the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Modi and the Council of Ministers at Rashtrapati Bhavan here June 9. Before that, he also met PM Modi on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai December 1 last year.

The President's Office (Maldives) stated: "President Dr Muizzu remains committed to enhancing bilateral ties with nations that play a crucial role in the development and growth of the Maldives, ensuring a dynamic and proactive foreign policy for the nation... Discussions will focus on strengthening bilateral cooperation and further enhancing the longstanding relationship between the two nations."

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that the Maldives President, accompanied by a high-level delegation from his country, will also be visiting Mumbai and Bengaluru, where he will have business engagements.

"The visit signifies the importance India attaches to its relations with Maldives. It is expected to lend further momentum to cooperation and robust people-to-people ties between the two countries," said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during a weekly media briefing on Friday.

In August, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar visited Maldives on an official three-day visit, his first since assuming office for a second term in June.

Before that, he had visited the strategically significant Indian Ocean archipelago in January 2023 as India maintained that Maldives occupies an important place in New Delhi's vision of 'Neighbourhood First' and 'SAGAR'.

"The visit of President Dr. Muizzu to India after the recent visit of the External Affairs Minister to the Maldives is testimony to the importance that India attaches to its relations with the Maldives," the MEA said in a statement on Friday.

Even as the relationship between the two countries became strained last year, India remained a key provider of development assistance to the island nation with several projects funded by India benefitting the lives of thousands of people in the country.

Muizzu's visit is considered important as India and Maldives experienced a decline in bilateral relations after he assumed office in 2023 on the plank of his 'India Out' election campaigning. After taking office in November 2023, Muizzu requested India to withdraw its military personnel from his country.

(IANS)

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