President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has concluded his official visit to India at the invitation of the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi. He travelled to New Delhi and Mumbai during the visit.
President Solih first travelled to New Delhi, where he held official discussions with Prime Minister Modi at Hyderabad House. The two leaders reviewed the status of past and present cooperation and discussed future collaboration and ways to strengthen existing ties.
President Solih and Prime Minister Modi also presided over the exchange of six key agreements between the two nations. The agreements ranged from capacity building and training to financing pivotal development projects in the Maldives. President Solih and Prime Minister Modi, most notably, initiated the Pouring of First Concrete of the Greater Malé Connectivity Project (GMCP). The project, which involves the construction of a bridge that connects Malé, Villimalé, Thilafushi, and Gulhifalhu, is backed by a USD400 million line of credit from the Exim Bank of India and a USD100 million grant from the Government of India.
Furthermore, President Solih thanked the government of India for facilitating an additional USD 100 million for the USD800 million line of credit previously provided through the Exim Bank of India. The two leaders welcomed the approval of the financing to construct 2000 social housing units in addition to the 4000 units previously approved to be developed in the Greater Male’ Region. The president also thanked the prime minister for the support to modernise the infrastructure, vessels and equipment of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).
President Solih and Prime Minister Modi delivered a joint press statement where they reaffirmed their commitment to the region's shared vision of peace and development. The president later joined the prime minister at the Hyderabad House for an official luncheon hosted in his honour.
President Solih also paid a courtesy call on the President of India Droupadi Murmu. The call took place at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. President Solih congratulated President Murmu on her inauguration to the office and expressed hope that bilateral relations between the Maldives and India would strengthen during her tenure. Earlier in the trip, Minister of External Affairs Dr Subrahmahniyam Jaishankar paid a courtesy call on President Solih.
In Mumbai, the Governor of Maharashtra Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari hosted a special lunch in honour of President Solih and his delegation. At the lunch held in Raj Bhavan, the president and Governor Koshyari discussed topics of mutual interest and prospects for collaboration.
During the visit, President Solih also attended business forums in the two cities he visited. The president attended the India-Maldives Business Forum in New Delhi, where he invited Indian entrepreneurs to the Maldives to explore business opportunities, and later attended the India-Maldives Business Forum held in Mumbai. He later visited the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and held discussions with the board members and other management staff there. The BSE expressed interest in exploring opportunities to collaborate on the development of the stock markets of the Maldives.
Before his return, President Solih toured the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), India's second-largest container handling port, where he was given a guided tour and Chairman Sanjay Sethi briefed the president and his delegation on the history and operations of the JNPT.
President Solih’s visit to India signifies the close bilateral relations between the two countries. India has been a vital partner in the socioeconomic development of the Maldives. The administration is currently developing a number of crucial infrastructure and community empowerment projects with Indian assistance. A high-level delegation of government officials and business leaders from the Maldives accompanied him on the visit.