Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu on Saturday said that he would be honoured to attend Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony and his visit to India for the historic event would demonstrate that bilateral ties between the two countries are heading in a positive direction.
Muizzu's remarks came as he accepted the invitation to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister for the third consecutive term.
Munu Mahawar, India's Higher Commissioner to the Maldives, presented the letter of invitation to the President during a courtesy call at the President's Office.
Maldivian officials in Male confirmed that Muizzu along with the country's foreign minister and a couple of other leaders will be travelling to New Delhi to attend the ceremony. This will be Muizzu's first visit to India as the island nation's president, according to PTI.
The invitation to Muizzu assumes significance as it came amid frosty ties between the two countries. The ties between India and the Maldives have come under severe strain since November last year when Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, took charge as Maldivian president.
Within hours of his oath, he had demanded the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from his country. The Indian military personnel were replaced by civilians earlier this month.
Earlier on Wednesday, President Muizzu had congratulated Narendra Modi for his win in the Lok Sabha elections and voiced his desire to work with him to advance bilateral ties.
"Congratulations to Prime Minister @narendramodi, and the BJP and BJP-led NDA, on the success in the 2024 Indian General Election, for the third consecutive term. I look forward to working together to advance our shared interests in pursuit of shared prosperity and stability for our two countries."
Narendra Modi is all set to take charge as the prime minister for a historic third consecutive term with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) winning 293 seats in the Lok Sabha polls.
President Droupadi Murmu will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the prime minister and other members of the Union Council of Ministers at 7.15 pm on Sunday at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The guest list of foreign leaders for Modi's swearing-in ceremony was primarily guided by New Delhi's "Neighbourhood First Policy" and its strategic focus on island nations considered important in the Indian Ocean region, reported PTI.
Narendra Modi's oath-taking ceremony will be attended by many foreign leaders including Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, Vice President of Seychelles Ahmed Afif, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', and Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay.
