Foreign Minister of Maldives Mohammed Asim reached New Delhi on Wednesday morning for a three-day visit. He is expected to meet his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
The visit is expected to boost the country’s bilateral ties with India, which suffered a setback after Maldives signed a free trade agreement with China in 2017.
“This is part of an effort to increase the visibility in bilateral ties,” Maldives’ High Commissioner to India Ahmed Mohamed told The Hindu. “While there is no specific agenda for the visit, we expect close bilateral consultations.”
Mohamed added that there would be discussions on the memoranda of understanding that were signed during Maldives President Abdulla Yameen’s visit to India in 2016.
The Yameen government signed a Free Trade Agreement with China without any debate or scrutiny, raising concerns in New Delhi. After the pact, India’s Ministry of External Affairs had said, “It is our expectation that as a close and friendly neighbor, Maldives will be sensitive to our concerns in keeping with its ‘India First’ policy.”
In December 2017, bilateral ties were strained further after the Maldives government suspended three members of a local body for allegedly meeting Indian Ambassador Akhilesh Mishra without permission.
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