Pres. Muizzu to undertake sudden visit to India

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu is scheduled to visit India on an unannounced visit.

The President’s Office revealed this via a press conference held on Tuesday.

Spokesperson at the President’s Office Heena Waleed revealed that discussions are currently underway to determine the most suitable date for this trip.

She stated that the date would be decided based on the convenience of the leaders of both countries.

Muizzu, who was at the forefront of the ‘India Out!’ campaign led by the then-opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and People’s National Congress (PNC) coalition against India, has been working to maintain close ties with India since assuming office as the eighth president of Maldives.

Even after coming to power, some senior political figures in the incumbent administration have made highly derogatory posts on social media about India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which has further soured relations between the two countries.

Further, this has also led to a significant drop in the number of Indian tourists visiting the island nation.

President Muizzu made an official visit to India in June this year to attend the swearing-in ceremony of PM Modi.

The President’s Office has announced that Muizzu is scheduled to make a quick trip to the neighboring country at a time the Maldives is facing significant economic challenges.

While the U.S. credit rating agency Fitch Ratings has warned that the Maldives could go bankrupt due to unpaid debts, India is among the two countries from which the Maldives has borrowed the most foreign debt. The other country being China.

Although the government has stated that they have received a "green signal" that these two countries will provide easier terms for the loans taken, the government has not confirmed that these arrangements have been finalized.