On Monday, Union Minister S Jaishankar met with the Presidents of the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, Mohamed Muizzu, and Ranil Wickremesinghe, to talk about bilateral ties and strategies to strengthen regional cooperation.
A day after the leaders attended the ceremony where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sworn in for a third term, Jaishankar—who is expected to return to the Ministry of External Affairs—met with them. Leaders from Bhutan, Mauritius, Nepal, and the Seychelles were also invited to the inauguration in addition to these three.
According to those with knowledge of the situation, Muizzu’s attendance at the event was noteworthy since it demonstrated the Maldivian government’s intention to interact with India during a period in which bilateral ties reached a new low. Soon after taking office, Muizzu, who was elected last year on the strength of an “India Out” campaign, called for the departure of Indian military forces stationed in the Maldives.
“I am happy to visit Maldivian President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu in New Delhi today.”Look forward to close collaboration between India and the Maldives,” Jaishankar wrote on X following his meeting.
Pictures from Sunday night’s supper at Rashtrapati Bhavan, which President Droupadi Murmu hosted, showed Muizzu sitting near Modi.
Following his meeting with Hasina, Jaishankar stated in a similar post that the “India-Bangladesh Maitri [friendship] continues to advance.” According to a Bangladeshi official, the two sides examined their overall relationship during the unstructured meeting.
Jaishankar stated on X that he “recognised the steady progress in India-Sri Lanka relations” during his meeting with Wickremesinghe.
The individuals mentioned above, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that the prime minister’s domestic travel schedule prevented Modi and the visiting leaders from having any formal bilateral talks.
At Rashtrapati Bhavan, Modi had a group meeting with the visiting leaders after the swearing-in event. Additionally, he had quick, one-on-one sessions with each of them, although the attendees claimed no in-depth conversations took place.
According to a statement from the external affairs ministry, Modi thanked the leaders for attending the event and reiterated India’s commitment to its “Neighbourhood First” policy and “SAGAR” goal, or Security and Growth for All in the Region.
India will “continue to work for the peace, progress, and prosperity of the region in close partnership with the countries, even as it pursues its goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047,” according to Modi, during his third term in office. In this regard, he aimed to increase regional connectedness and interpersonal relationships.
“Continue to amplify the voice of the Global South in the international arena,” he declared, referring to India.