President of the Maldives Mohamed Muizzu, accompanied by his wife First Lady Sajidha Mohamed, on Tuesday paid a visit to the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra. The visit was part of President Muizzu’s five-day state visit to India.
The President reached Agra in the morning. The President’s office, Maldives tweeted, saying, “President His Excellency Dr. @MMuizzu and First Lady Madam Sajidha Mohamed has arrived in Agra, where they will tour the historic Taj Mahal as part of the President’s State Visit to India.”
The Taj Mahal stands in grand majesty on the banks of the Yamuna River. It is one of the most famous and iconic buildings in the world. UNESCO recognized this architectural wonder as a World Heritage Site in 1983. During their trip, President Muizzu and First Lady Sajidha Mohamed toured the monument. The Taj Mahal embodies love and is considered an important cultural heritage of India.
Earlier in the day, President Muizzu held one-on-one meetings with Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also met with other senior officials. During the meetings, both countries discussed ways to expand their bilateral ties between India and the Maldives.
Muizzu’s visit to India is his first official bilateral visit as President of the Maldives from October 6-10. President Droupadi Murmu invited him. Upon his arrival on Sunday, Union Minister of State for External Affairs Kiriti Vardhan Singh warmly received Muizzu.
This is the second visit by the President to India this year; he had earlier visited to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Modi in June 2024. Even as Indian tradition has been a Maldivian President’s first foreign visit, Muizzu after assuming office broke this convention and went first to Turkey followed by a visit to China.
The Muizzu government has pursued different lines of policy since coming into office from the previous ones. Particularly regarding India-Maldives relations. Muizzu ran on an “India Out” platform during his election campaign aimed at seeking the withdrawal of Indian troops in Maldives. This led to rising tensions in bilateral ties.
More recently, however, President Muizzu has adopted a more conciliatory tone. He thanked India for financial aid and referred to the country as one of the “closest” friends of the Maldives.
Recently, both countries agreed to work together on the development of a modern commercial port at the Thilafushi island that will help reduce congestion at the Male port and improve cargo handling. They agreed to develop trans-shipment facilities and bunkering services as part of the Maldives Economic Gateway project.
Prime Minister Modi and President Muizzu held a bilateral meeting on Monday wherein the progress of their relationship was reviewed. The India-Maldives relationship, as expressed by the two leaders, has been a “historically close and special relationship.”
Muizzu went on to thank India for timely financial assistance-which included the rollover of the T-bills with a total value of USD 100 million that helped the Maldives address pressing financial needs. He further expressed his appreciation for the role of India as the ‘First Responder’ in times of crisis. Especially during the 2014 water crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.
ANI
