Relations between New Delhi and Male soured after Mr Muizzu, widely seen as favouring closer ties with China, assumed office in November 2023
India’s External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, and his Maldivian counterpart, Abdulla Khaleel, will on Monday (26 May) assess the progress made under the India-Maldives comprehensive economic and maritime security partnership, as both sides seek to steady relations following months of diplomatic turbulence.
Mr Khaleel, who is in India on a three-day official visit with a high-level delegation, will represent the Maldives at the second meeting of the High Level Core Group (HLCG) – the bilateral mechanism tasked with implementing the wide-ranging partnership agreement signed last year. This marks his third visit to India in 2025.
The partnership vision document was jointly adopted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu in October 2024 and aims to deepen collaboration across economic and security domains in the Indian Ocean region.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), announcing Mr Khaleel’s visit, described it as part of an ongoing phase of “intensified high-level political exchanges” between the two countries. “Maldives is India’s key maritime neighbour and an important partner in India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and vision MAHASAGAR – Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions,” the MEA said in a statement.
Relations between New Delhi and Male soured after Mr Muizzu, widely seen as favouring closer ties with China, assumed office in November 2023. Shortly after taking the oath, he called for the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from the island nation. India eventually replaced its military presence with civilian staff.
Tensions appeared to ease following Mr Muizzu’s visit to Delhi in October, during which he pledged to enhance cooperation with India. Monday’s review is expected to further cement efforts at stabilising ties and advancing shared strategic objectives in the region.
