PM Modi Accorded Ceremonial Welcome, Guard Of Honour In Maldives
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome and guard of honour at the Republic Square in Male on Friday as he began his official engagements during a two-day State Visit to the country.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi received ceremonial welcome and guard of honour during Maldives visit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given a ceremonial welcome and guard of honour at Republic Square in Male on Friday as he commenced his official engagements during his two-day State Visit to Maldives. President Mohamed Muizzu was present at the ceremony.
Local children performed traditional dances to welcome the Prime Minister at the venue, after which the two leaders held a bilateral meeting.
Earlier that day, in a notable gesture, President Muizzu personally greeted PM Modi at Male airport upon his arrival from the United Kingdom. The welcoming delegation also included Maldives' Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, Finance Minister, and Minister of Homeland Security.
PM Modi expressed that he was "deeply touched" by President Muizzu's gesture of personally receiving him at the airport. He voiced confidence that relations between the two nations would reach new heights of progress in the future.
"Landed in Male. Deeply touched by the gesture of President Muizzu to come to the airport to welcome me. I am confident that India-Maldives friendship will scale new heights of progress in the times to come," PM Modi shared on X.
The Prime Minister will attend the country's 60th Independence Day celebrations as Guest of Honour on Saturday. This marks his third visit to the Maldives and notably the first by any head of state or government since President Muizzu took office.
"Vande Mataram" chants were heard as PM Modi engaged with members of the Indian community who had gathered for his welcome. The Prime Minister met with children and signed autographs on their artwork. As part of the cultural reception, children also performed a traditional classical dance when PM Modi arrived at the Kurumba Village Resort.
After meeting the Prime Minister, one child remarked, "I painted this with the help of my mother. Honestly, I didn't believe he would actually give his autograph. But when he signed it, it was such an overwhelming feeling! I was so excited, I just started dancing."
PM Modi shared moments from his interaction with Indian community members on X. He posted, "The Indian diaspora plays a crucial role in furthering friendship between India and the Maldives. Happy to have interacted with members of the diaspora and I thank them for the warm welcome."
Earlier, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri stated that PM Modi's visit would not only strengthen the strong ties between the two nations but also enhance peace, prosperity and security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
"The relationship with the Maldives is comprehensive and multifaceted. It's been paid attention to by leadership at the highest levels and we believe that this visit by the Prime Minister will contribute further to consolidating these strong ties and contribute to peace, prosperity and security in the Indian Ocean Region that both of us inhabit," Foreign Secretary Misri explained during a special media briefing ahead of PM Modi's two-nation visit.
The two leaders will also review progress on implementing the India-Maldives Joint Vision for a 'Comprehensive Economic and Maritime Security Partnership,' which was adopted during the State Visit of the Maldives President to India in October 2024.
"We have always been the first on hand to respond to the needs of Maldives in times whenever it has faced crisis, natural or man-made. There has been a robust, political relationship which has been bolstered by regular visits at high-levels," Misri noted.
"This joint vision, in a sense, has become the guiding framework for our ties. This year already, in the first six months, we have seen nearly half a dozen ministerial level visits from the Maldives. The speaker of the Maldives Parliament visited India. In fact, the very first engagement this year that the External Affairs Minister held was with the Foreign Minister of Maldives," he added.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)