Maldives free to take decisions on intl ties, India says

It is up to the Maldives to shape its international relations, the Indian external affairs ministry said on Thursday, as the island nation's new President Mohamed Muizzu is set to travel to China before India in a break from long-held tradition of visiting India on the first visit abroad by a Maldivian president. 

In response to a question about the Maldivian president's visit to China, the Indian external affairs ministry's spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters at his weekly press briefing that it is up to the Maldives to decide on its international relations. 

"This is a decision which Maldives has to take. We don't have any comments on that. It is for them to decide where they go and how they go about their international relations," he said. 

President Mohamed Muizzu, accompanied by First Lady Sajidha Mohamed, will undertake a state visit to China next week, the President’s Office said Thursday. 

In a statement, the office said the first couple will visit China from January 7-12, on an invitation extended by Xi Jinping, the President of China.

Traditionally Maldivian presidents had visited India on their first official or state visit, but President Muizzu broke tradition when he visited Türkiye in late November on his first official visit. 

He is yet to visit India, but met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of COP28 climate summit in Dubai in early December. 

President Mohamed Muizzu won the presidential election in September, ousting Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in a runoff after promising to remove a small Indian military presence of some 77 personnel.

The new government, which came to power on November 17, has formally requested India to remove its troops, with President Muizzu saying that India has agreed to withdraw the troops. 

Maldives has also given notice to India to not renew a hydrography agreement signed by the previous government, giving access to India to study and chart the island nation's seabed.