India Maldives Ties

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has inaugurated the Hanimaadhoo International Airport, a project funded under the Indian government's Line of Credit assistance, calling it a gateway to prosperity for the country's north. Muizzu inaugurated the airport on Sunday and described it as a "catalyst for unlocking the potential of the northern Maldives and enhancing global connectivity", according to a statement by the President's Office. Calling it a gateway to prosperity for the north, he said, This is not just an airport, it is a symbol of economic transformation." Muizzu said that the newly opened airport would bring further advancement to tourism, agriculture, fisheries, and the economy, as well as social development to the north, the Sun.mv news portal reported. The inauguration was attended by Indian Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu and senior officials from both nations. Speaking on the occasion, Muizzu said the airport serves as a monument that testifies to the

New Delhi has rolled over, for one more year, USD 50 million Maldives' government bonds as an emergency financial assistance, the Indian High Commission said here Thursday. The deadline for the repayment of a USD 50 million Treasury Bill (T-bill) was extended once again on the request of the Maldives government. Since March 2019, the Government of India has been facilitating subscription of several such Treasury Bills by the State Bank of India (SBI) and rolling them over, annually, interest-free to the Government of Maldives, the Indian High Commission said in a statement. On the request of the Government of Maldives, the State Bank of India (SBI) has subscribed, for one more year, a USD 50 million Government Treasury Bill issued by the Ministry of Finance of Maldives, the statement said. The deadline for repayment was Thursday. This has been done under a unique Government-to-Government arrangement, as an emergency financial assistance to Maldives, the statement, posted on the Hi

As the recent reset with Sri Lanka has demonstrated, mature responses to geopolitical pressures can be as effective as the exercise of hard power

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu on Saturday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his state visit to the Maldives.Muizzu said that the visit was fruitful, as they witnessed the exchange of four MoUs and three agreements in vital areas, and announced the launch of FTA negotiations.In a post on X, he said, "I extend heartfelt thanks to Prime Minister His Excellency Shri Narendra Modi for his state visit to the Maldives. We held fruitful discussions, witnessed the exchange of 4 MoUs & 3 agreements in vital areas, and announced the launch of FTA negotiations. Together, we celebrated the Maldives' 60th Independence Day, released a commemorative stamp marking 60 years of formal ties, and inaugurated key development projects under Indian assistance. A defining visit that sets a clear path for the future of India-Maldives relations."Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it was an honour for him to attend the Independence Day celebrations of the Maldives.In a post on X, he said, "It was

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday graced the Independence Day celebrations of the Maldives as the guest of honour. Modi was warmly welcomed at the iconic Republic Square in this Maldivian capital. The prime minister landed in Male on Friday on a two-day visit primarily to attend the Independence Day celebrations of the Indian Ocean archipelago.

PM Modi is in the Maldives at the invitation of President Mohamed Muizzu. He is the guest of honour for the 60th Independence Day celebrations in the country

India and the Maldives on Friday exchanged eight key agreements covering a wide range of sectors, including Line of Credit, debt repayment, fisheries, digital transformation, and Unified Payments Interface (UPI), in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu."Delighted to exchange eight Agreements related to Line of Credit, debt repayment, FTA, fisheries & aquaculture, digital transformation, pharmacopoeia and UPI in the presence of PM @narendramodi and President @MMuizzu today in Male," External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar posted on X.Confirming the development, the President's Office of the Maldives stated, "President witnesses exchange of key MoUs and agreements between the Maldives and India."The exchange of agreements set the tone for high-level discussions that followed, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Mohamed Muizzu took stock of the implementation of the India-Maldives Joint Vision for a 'Comprehensive Economic ...

PM Modi also reiterated India's commitment to supporting Maldives' defence capabilities, given it is seeking to maintain its influence amid a growing Chinese presence

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the Maldives on Friday on a two-day visit, during which he will attend the archipelago nation's 60th Independence Day celebrations as the chief guest. Modi was received on arrival by President Mohamed Muizzu, who had invited him for the visit. The two leaders are also scheduled to hold extensive talks during the trip. The prime minister was welcomed with a traditional dance performance by children. This is the first state visit of a head of government that Muizzu is hosting in his presidency since assuming office in November 2023, according to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. Modi arrived here from a two-day visit to the UK, during which the two countries inked a landmark trade deal to boost two-way trade by eliminating tariffs on cars, textiles, whisky and a range of other products. Modi's visit to the Maldives is being seen as a breakthrough in the ties between Male and New Delhi following a spell of frostiness under Muizzu. The prime mini

His visit to the UK will primarily focus on the formalisation of the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Besides holding wide-ranging talks with Starmer, PM Modi will also be meeting King Charles III

Addressing a press briefing ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Maldives, Misri elaborated on the burgeoning economic relationship between the two countries

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's July visit to the UK will focus on increasing bilateral trade and signing the India-UK Free Trade Agreement. He will also visit the Maldives on his return

The visit to the UK is at the invitation of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, while the state visit to the Maldives is at the invitation of President Mohamed Muizzu

India and the Maldives discussed ways to explore new opportunities for economic cooperation and trade enhancement, state-run media said on Saturday. The discussion for strengthening trade was held during a meeting between India's Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal and Maldivian Economic Development and Trade Minister Mohamed Saeed here on Friday. The meeting, held at the Maldivian Economic Ministry as part of Barthwal's visit, focused on exploring new areas of economic collaboration and strengthening existing trade ties, according to Public Service Media (PSM News), the state-run media. After the meeting, Saeed said in a post on X: Had a productive meeting today with India's Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal. We discussed strengthening trade and investment partnerships between our nations and exploring new opportunities for economic cooperation. The Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in a post on X, said Barthwal had a constructive meeting with Saeed, focusin

India has signed 13 MoUs with the Maldives for enhancing ferry services in the island nation with an MVR 100 million grant, expanding maritime connectivity and uplifting community livelihoods. The MoUs signed on Sunday are for projects to be implemented under the Indian grant assistance schemeHigh Impact Community Development Project (HICDP) Phase III. The signing ceremony took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, marking another milestone in the ever-strengthening partnership between the two countries, the Maldives' Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The 13 projects launched under this phase amount to a total grant of MVR 100 million (about Rs 55,28,47,552), primarily aimed at enhancing ferry services in the Maldives, expanding connectivity, and uplifting community livelihoods, it said. "Forging ties with Community Development. On May 18, India and the Maldives signed 13 MoUs for enhancing ferry services in the Maldives with an MVR 100 mn grant under HICDP III. .

China and India remain the Maldives' biggest creditor nations and both regional rivals vie for influence in the strategically located Indian Ocean nation

It was noted that since March 2019, India has been facilitating subscription of several such Treasury Bills by the SBI and rolling them over, annually, interest-free

India on Tuesday notified exports of specified quantities of commodities like eggs, potatoes, onions, rice, wheat flour, sugar, and dal for the Maldives in the current fiscal year. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in a notification said these exports have been permitted to the Maldives under the bilateral trade agreement between the countries in 2025-26. "Export of eggs, potatoes, onions, rice, wheat flour, sugar, dal, stone aggregate and river sand to Maldives has been permitted under the bilateral trade agreement between India and Maldives for 2025-26," the DGFT said in a notification. The export of these items to the Maldives will be exempted from any existing or future restriction/prohibition during this period. Items which are restricted or prohibited will be allowed only through the six designated customs ports including Mundra, Tuticorin, and Kandla. The specified quantity allowed includes potatoes (22,589 tonnes), onions (37,537 tonnes), rice (1,30,429 tonne

He acknowledged that there was a drop in the number of Indian tourists travelling to Maldives

India has assumed the chairmanship of the Bay of Bengal Inter-Governmental Organisation at the 13th Governing Council Meeting in Male, Maldives.India assumed the chairmanship in the presence of senior government representatives from Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bangladesh, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said in a press release.The event was part of the high-level conference 'Policy Guidance for Mainstreaming Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) in Small-Scale Fisheries', hosted by the Ministry of Fisheries & Ocean Resources of the Maldives government, in collaboration with the Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation (BOBP-IGO), that has been successfully convened from February 20 to 22, 2025, in Lankanfinolhu, Maldives.As per the Ministry, the Indian delegation was led by Abhilaksh Likhi, Secretary, Department of Fisheries. He highlighted that India is committed to upholding and building upon the achievements of the Bay of Bengal