President Solih to leave to India on Sunday
During the three-day official visit, the president will meet with Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi
PM Narendra Modi visited Maldives in November, to attend President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih\'s swearing-in ceremony
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih will depart on his maiden state visit abroad, to India, on Sunday.
During the three-day official visit, the president will meet with Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He will also meet India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
All four meetings are to take place on Monday.
During the trip, both parties are to sign important agreements including a visa agreement and a USD 200 million free-aid agreement.
Earlier on Saturday, foreign minister Abdulla Shahid said that the country requires USD 200 million in ‘budget support’.
According to Indian news outlets, President Solih will stay at Rashtrapati Bhawan- the official presidential palace located in the centre of Delhi.
Furthermore, India’s External Affairs Ministry has revealed that most of President Solih’s meeting will take place Rashtrapati Bhawan, except for the one with PM Modi, which is to take place at the Hyderabad House.
The president will travel to Agra on Tuesday, before returning to Maldives the same day.
Bilateral ties between Maldives and India had deteriorated during former President Abdulla Yameen’s administration, as the focus was more on strengthening ties with China.
Due to this, PM Modi had cancelled trip to Maldives during his 2014 Indian Ocean tour. While invitations had been extended since, the prime minister had declined to visit Maldives during Yameen’s tenure.
He made a special appearance at Solih’s swearing-in ceremony on November 17.
