6 days ago
Ties in region back in focus with PM's forthcoming visit to Maldives
Ties in the neighbourhood will come back into focus next week as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Male on July 25-26 for the Independence Day of the Maldives, and sources say a long-pending visit by Nepal's Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to New Delhi is being planned shortly after his return.
Mr. Modi was expected to travel to the U.K. to sign the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, but officials said the trip, which is still being planned for July 24, has not been 'finalised' and could be delayed.
Mr. Modi is expected to land in Male on July 25, and will be given a ceremonial welcome. He will hold bilateral talks with Maldives' President Mohamed Muizzu, who visited India in June 2024 for Mr. Modi's swearing-in ceremony and then for a State visit in October. Among a number of development initiatives, both sides are expected to build on the launch of digital payment system UPI and mechanisms to increase tourist arrivals between both countries, officials working on the visit said.
On July 26, Mr. Modi has been invited as a guest to the Independence Day parade and other special ceremonies to mark 60 years of the Maldives getting independence from the British in 1965. The invitation was announced by Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Khaleel during his visit to India in May this year.
Officials said that India and the U.K. have also been discussing a short visit to London by Mr. Modi before he travels to Male, on July 24, to sign the FTA that was announced by him and Mr. Starmer on May 6. However, it is understood that some technical and 'legal scrubbing' is still required to be finished, and the trip may require to be put off or held after the Male visit.
The visit to the Maldives is significant as it marks Mr. Modi's first visit to the neighbouring country since the election of Mr. Muizzu in November 2023. Ties between India and Maldives hit a rough patch over the 'India Out' campaign that Mr. Muizzu had backed during his campaign, and the 'Boycott Maldives' social media campaign that followed over criticism of Mr. Modi by Maldivian Ministers.
However, the two sides subsequently resolved issues, after India agreed to replace military personnel stationed there for aircraft management with civilian engineers. India has also increased its Lines of Credit and outlay to Maldives from ₹470 crore in 2024-25 to ₹600 crore in the latest budget, and extended a much needed currency swap facility to help Maldives with its debt repayment crisis last year.
Diplomatic sources further said that India is expected to host Nepal's Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli later this month and that discussions are on.
Mr. Oli was one of the first regional leaders to condemn the terrorist attack in Pahalgam and, subsequently, India accommodated Nepalese citizens while airlifting stranded nationals from Iran against the backdrop of the Iran-Israel conflict.
Mr. Oli in recent months, has also praised India for supporting the democratic process in post-monarchy Nepal. While plans are underway for the visit, there are also internal political developments in Nepal that will be taken into consideration at the planning stage. On Wednesday (July 16, 2025), Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal (JSP-N), withdrew support to Mr. Oli's government, reducing the ruling coalition to a minority in the Upper House of the Nepalese Parliament — National Assembly.
Mr. Oli's India proposed visit has acquired heightened attention as he was sworn in on July 15, 2024 but has not visited India till now, but had visited China in December last year.
