Male (Maldives), June 7: The Maldives is fully prepared to welcome India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “historic” bilateral visit to the island nation, marking Modi’s first bilateral visit to the Maldives after assuming office for the second straight term.
According to ANI news reports, Modi’s visit is in line with “Neighbourhood First Policy” of New Delhi and the “India first policy” of Maldives. In order to welcome the Indian PM, the streets of Male have been flagged with India and Maldives flags.
The Indian PM is slated to arrive in the Maldives on Saturday afternoon for his official two-day state visit.
Sunjay Sudhir, Indian ambassador to the Maldives, told ANI, “It is a very historic visit. It will allow us to discuss the entire gamut of bilateral relations. All preparation is in place. It is a big honour for us as the visit has been given the status of a state visit.”
The envoy continued, “This visit also epitomises ‘India First’ policy of Maldives and ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy of India. India is perhaps Maldives’ most important partner.”
During his two-day visit, Modi is expected to hold a meeting with Male President Ibrahim Solih and other two leaderships are expected to ink several deals related to connectivity, defence, capacity building, and customs cooperation issues.
They are likely to jointly inaugurate some projects, including the coastal surveillance radar system – a key to enhancing the maritime security in the Indian Ocean area.
In a tweet, Modi thanked Male President and further wrote: “I thank President @ibusolih for inviting me to the Republic of Maldives. I also had the opportunity to be a part of the inauguration ceremony in November 2018. India views the Maldives as a valued partner with whom we share deep bonds of history and culture..”
I thank President @ibusolih for inviting me to the Republic of Maldives. I also had the opportunity to be a part of the inauguration ceremony in November 2018. India views the Maldives as a valued partner with whom we share deep bonds of history and culture.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 7, 2019
Modi is also slated to address the Maldives parliament. Sudhir said, “This is only the second time that any foreign leader will address the Majlis (Maldives Parliament).”
Besides meeting Solih, the PM will also meet with Mohamed Nasheed, ex-President and speaker of Majlis, and vice president Faisal Naseem.