Maldivian Prez Muizzu to attend Modi's swearing-in ceremony

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has accepted the invitation to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony in New Delhi over the weekend, according to a media report on Friday.

News portal Edition.mv quoted its sister-publication in Dhivehi, Mihaaru News, as saying that President Muizzu will leave for New Delhi on Saturday for the ceremony accompanied by several other senior government officials.

There was no official confirmation yet from the Maldives President's Office about Muizzu's first official visit to India.

Earlier on Wednesday, Muizzu had congratulated Modi and voiced his desire to work with the Indian prime minister to advance the 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,' Muizzu posted on X.

This marks the pro-China president's first official visit to India since assuming office on November 17 last year.

Unlike his predecessors, who made the first port of call to New Delhi after assuming office, Muizzu had travelled to Turkiye first and to China for his first state visit in January.

Within hours of his oath, Muizzu had demanded the removal of 88-odd Indian military personnel from his country, straining bilateral ties. The military personnel were repatriated from three aviation platforms and replaced by civilians from India by the May 10 deadline set by Muizzu.

The swearing-in ceremony is expected to witness the presence of leaders from neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Mauritius, and Seychelles, in addition to the Maldives, as part of India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy.