According to a press release by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, Solih is scheduled to visit New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the newly elected president Droupadi Murmu and several senior officials of the government.
There will be several discussions between the two governments to strengthen bilateral ties and several memoranda of understanding (MOUs) will be signed and exchanged. Prime Minister Modi and Solih will be addressing the exchanges and outcomes via a press conference.
The Maldivian President is also set to meet senior executives from Indian industries in New Delhi and Mumbai. In this regard, two business-to-business forums have been planned for each city.
Solih is scheduled to meet the Governor of Maharashtra, Bhagat Singh Koshiyari and will be touring the BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange). He will also visit JNPT (Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust) in Navi Mumbai to meet with the management team and observe the operations of the port.
President Solih will be accompanied by a Maldivian delegation of senior officials from the government and Maldivian businesses.
The press release stated “Maldives is India’s key neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region and occupies a special place in India’s Neighbourhood First Policy. In recent years, the partnership has witnessed rapid growth in all areas of cooperation. President Solih’s upcoming Official visit will provide an opportunity for the two leaders to review the progress made in this wide-ranging partnership and lend further momentum to it.”
While Sri Lanka, Pakistan and now Bangladesh face financial problems and a crunch in their foreign reserves which has led to seeking a bailout from the International Monetary Fund and widespread chaos and protests in their cities, Indian and the Maldives strengthen economic cooperation amidst the chaos in South Asia.
