PM Modi attends swearing-in ceremony of Maldives Prez, leaves for India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday attended the swearing-in ceremony of Maldives President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih at the National Stadium here. After attending the ceremony, PM Modi left for India.

Marking his maiden visit to the island nation in the Indian Ocean, Modi had reached the Maldives around 15:45 pm in the evening. He congratulated Solih over his win in the recently held Presidential election of Maldives.

Just a day before his scheduled visit, Modi had written a post on his Facebook account, saying "I am delighted to visit Male, the capital of the Republic of Maldives, our close and friendly neighbour, to attend the historic Inauguration Ceremony of President-elect H.E. Ibrahim Mohamed Solih."

"I will convey to the new Maldivian Government of Solih the desire of my Government to work closely for realization of their developmental priorities, especially in areas of infrastructure, health care, connectivity, and human resource development," he mentioned while reaffirming his faith that his visit will "herald a new era of even closer exchanges and cooperation between our two countries.