Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer to Visit New Delhi on May 9 to Bolster Ties

Moosa Zameer, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Maldives, will visit New Delhi on May 9 amid strained ties between India and Maldives. During his visit, he will meet External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar to hold discussions on bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

New Delhi:Amid strained ties between India and Maldives, Moosa Zameer, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Maldives, is all set to visit New Delhi on May 9. During his visit, Zameer will meet External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar for discussions on bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday.

This visit will be the first high-level visit by a senior official from the Muizzu government to India since the government assumed office in November 2023. The talks are expected to focus on improving ties, which have been strained ever since Mohammed Muizzu assumed power. His anti-India stance has soured the ties even more.

The meeting between Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer and Minister Jaishankar is expected to set the tone for future engagements and how both sides can work together on several issues, including India's infrastructure development projects in the country. Zameer's visit also comes ahead of the May 10 deadline set by the Maldives for India to withdraw its military troops from the archipelago and replace them with civilians.

The Foreign Minister's visit is expected to strengthen the frosty relations between India and Maldives, which is very crucial in the face of the growing Chinese hegemony in the Indo-Pacific. However, Zameer will discuss President Muizzu's likely trip to India. During his visit, the Maldivian Foreign Minister is expected to seek leniency for repayment of loans and restore ties with India amid the pro-China stance of Muizzu.

Last week, during the high-level core group meeting, India and Male reviewed the ongoing efforts to enable the continued operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide humanitarian and medevac services to the people of Maldives. They continued their discussions on wide-ranging issues related to bilateral cooperation. This included defence cooperation, development cooperation projects, efforts to enhance bilateral trade and investment and capacity-building initiatives.

However, according to the Maldives Foreign Ministry readout following the high-level core group meeting said that both sides noted with satisfaction that the Indian government will replace military personnel at the last of the three aviation platforms by May 10 and all the logistical arrangements are going ahead as per schedule.

It is pertinent to note that Maldives is India’s key maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and Foreign Minister Zameer’s visit is expected to lend further momentum to the bilateral cooperation between the two countries.