NEW DELHI: Maldives President Mohamad Muizzu landed in Delhi on Sunday, beginning his three-day official visit to India. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on him.“Pleased to call on President Muizzu at the start of his visit to India. We appreciate the commitment to enhance India-Maldives relationship and are confident that his talks with PM Modi on Monday will give an impetus to our friendly ties,’’ said Jaishankar on Sunday.Muizzu’s official engagements begin on Monday, when he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He will also go to Bengaluru and Mumbai.The Maldivian delegation includes a dozen ministers and senior officials who were received at the airport by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh. Several agreements are likely to be signed on Monday when Muizzu meets Modi.Ahead of his visit, Muizzu said he was optimistic that India would ease his country’s financial burden. Maldives foreign exchange reserves have fallen to $440 million, which will last them for mere 45 days. India supported Maldives, which enabled it to avoid defaulting on Islamic Bond payments in September by extending the State Bank of India subscription to government treasury bills worth $50 million.India has also offered financial support worth $1.4 billion for infrastructure development projects. Meanwhile, on Sunday, Muizzu met the diaspora in Delhi.India and Maldives had signed a trade agreement in 1981, which provides for export of essential commodities. Growing from modest beginnings, the bilateral trade crossed $300 million for the first time in 2021, which further crossed $500 million in 2022.
Source link
