Union Minister S Jaishankar held a bilateral meeting with President of Maldives Mohamed Muizzu
New Delhi:
Union Minister S Jaishankar on Monday held separate bilateral meetings with Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Muizzu, Hasina and Wickremesinghe were among the seven leaders from India’s neighborhood and the Indian Ocean region who attended the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Council of Ministers on Sunday.
“It is a pleasure to visit President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu of the Maldives today in New Delhi. We hope that India and the Maldives will work together,” Mr. Jaishankar said on ‘X’.
It is a pleasure to visit President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu of the Maldives today in New Delhi.
We hope that India and Maldives will work closely together. @MMuizzu
pic.twitter.com/odHJPRK4Ks– Dr. S. Jaishankar (Modi Ka Parivar) (@DrSJaishankar) June 10, 2024
Jaishankar was foreign minister in Prime Minister Modi’s previous cabinet. He took oath as Union minister on Sunday.
It was Muizzu’s first visit to India after becoming president of the island country on November 17 last year.
Ties between India and the Maldives have come under severe strain since Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, took over the top job.
Within hours of his oath-taking, he demanded the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from his country. The Indian military was replaced by civilians earlier this month.
After his meeting with Hasina, Jaishankar said, “It is an honor to visit Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today. The India-Bangladesh Maitri continues to move forward.”
In his meeting with Wickremesinghe, Jaishankar said, “I thank President Ranil Wickremesinghe of Sri Lanka for receiving me this morning in New Delhi. He recognized the steady progress in India-Sri Lanka relations.”
Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay and Vice President of Seychelles Ahmed Afif also attended the ceremony inauguration of Prime Minister Modi.
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