Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Maldives’ president-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Monday night to congratulate him.

During the call, the Indian PM congratulated the Maldivian people and invited Solih to India.

Solih accepted the invitation and agreed to travel to the neighboring county in the near future.

Noting that the decades-long diplomatic relations between India and Maldives have severely deteriorated, Solih also vowed to strengthen their ties in his administration.

Solih also said that India has always been a crucial ally in Maldives’ path towards democracy and that Sunday’s election has shown how much Maldivians want democracy.

Modi in turn vowed to give any assistance for the progress of Maldives.