Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu planning to visit India 'as soon as possible'

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has said that he is planning to visit India as soon as possible. He also praised the "very strong" bilateral relationship between the two countries. "I am planning to visit (India) as soon as possible.

..We have a very strong bilateral relationship," Muizzu told ANI on sidelines of 79th United Nations General Assembly.

Notably, if happens, it will be Muizzu's second visit to India, after first making the visit in June during the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is pertinent to note that earlier almost every Maldivian President used to make his first foreign visit to India, but Muizzu changed the trend by first visiting Turkiye and then China, after coming to office earlier this year. The Mohamed Muizzu government in the Maldives took a reconciliatory tone after ties between the two nations soured, leading to a diplomatic row.

Since coming to power, Muizzu has taken several steps that have been unconventional from the point of view of India-Maldives ties. He ran his whole presidential campaign on the lines of 'India Out'. The removal of Indian troops from the country was the main election campaign of Muizzu's party.

Last December, the Maldives said it would not renew the Hydrographic Survey agreement made with India.After Muizzu government officially requested India to withdraw troops, the Indian government set up a High-Level Core Group to discuss the matter. The withdrawal of Indian troops was completed in May this yea.