Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar will visit the Maldives on Friday.

Jaishankar’s visit will follow the visit of the Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu in June when he came to New Delhi to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said the Ministry of External Affairs.

The MEA further said that Jaishankar will be in the Maldives for three days till Sunday.

The statement further said that Jaishankar’s visit is aimed at strengthening the bilateral partnership between India and the Maldives and stressed on the nation’s centrality for India’s vision for the neighbourhood.

“Maldives is India’s key maritime neighbour and an important partner in India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ Policy and our Vision ‘SAGAR’ i.e. Security and Growth for All in the Region. The visit is aimed at strengthening the close partnership between the two countries and to explore avenues to enhance the bilateral relationship further,” said the MEA in a statement.

Since Muizzu took over as the President of the Maldives, the bilateral relations have been tense as he has been the leader of the ‘India Out’ movement in the nation and has been close to China — India’s principal adversary. He had also led a vitriolic campaign against the deployment of Indian helicopters and military personnel in the country for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) purposes.

As Muizzu pressed on with his anti-India politics, the relations between the two country nosedived. Lately, however, there have been signs that Muizzu is seeking a stable working relationship with India by ditching overt animosity.

Jaishankar had last visited the Maldives in January 2023.

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External Affairs Minister Jaishankar to visit Maldives tomorrow