Trisha Ghosh, Pune
Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu stated prior to his meeting with PM Modi today that the country needs financial aid and that India will ‘ease the burden’, as it is one of the Maldives’ largest development partners. Relations between the two nations have been tense since Muizzu’s rise to power in November last year amidst a call for “India Out”.
Muizzu arrived in New Delhi on Sunday. His visit will span five days, from October 6 to 10. He was also present here four months earlier for PM Modi’s swearing-in ceremony for his third term as Prime Minister. He also intends to visit Bengaluru, Mumbai and Agra during this time.
In a post on X, S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, addressed Muizzu, saying that he appreciates the President’s ‘commitment to enhance’ the relations between the two nations. He stated that he is confident that the talks between the two leaders on Monday will further their ties well (link: https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1842914260860760303). As per Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesperson for the External Affairs Ministry, Muizzu and First Lady Sajidha Mohamed’s official welcoming ceremony will be held on Tuesday.
Prior to his arrival in New Delhi, President Muizzu had mentioned the main objective of the meeting in an email interview with the BBC. According to him, India is fully aware of the Maldives’ fiscal conditions, and as it is one of the island nation’s largest development partners, it will ‘always be ready’ to aid them financially and in developing solutions to any issues arising. India has already provided financial aid of approximately $1.4 billion to the Maldives for multiple development and infrastructure-related projects.
The Maldives faces the prospect of a ‘debt default’, with foreign exchange reserves of merely $440 million, which is barely enough for little over a month of imports. The previous month, Moody’s (an international agency) rated the nation’s credit rating as very low, saying its ‘default risks’ have increased. However, as per what Muizzu had said to the BBC, Maldives is not grappling with any such debt default. He explained that if that were the case Maldives would not have participated in the IMF programme to deal with the crisis, and that the island country has its own ‘home-grown’ plans.
Muizzu has not yet directly spoken of his anti-India sentiments earlier, but emphasised ‘open dialogue’ and ‘mutual understanding’ to establish strong ties, saying that Maldives simply does not want any foreign troops on their land. During India’s withdrawal of troops in March and May, Muizzu had a bilateral visit to China, post which he indirectly addressed India’s alleged attempts to bully the island nation into submission. However, he presently believes the two countries have a better idea of each other’s interests.
The External Affairs Ministry termed Maldives a significant neighbour to India in the Indian Ocean Region, that is important to the PM’s policies of SAGAR and ‘Neighbourhood First’.