Rashtrapati Bhavan holds formal reception for Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu

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Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu was given a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Monday, ANI reported.

According to ANI, President Droupadi Murmu and PM Modi welcomed the Maldivian President and First Lady Sajidha Mohamed as they arrived at Rashtrapati Bhavan earlier today.

President Muizzu, along with First Lady Sajida Mohamed paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat in New Delhi as well. Muizzu also signed the visitors' book at Rajghat, following the tribute at the Mahatma Gandhi memorial.

Muizzu, who is on an inaugural five-day bilateral visit to India, is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with PM Modi at Hyderabad House in New Delhi later today, ANI reported.

President Muizzu along with the First Lady of Maldives arrived in India on Sunday, for his first bilateral visit to the country.

He was received by Kiriti Vardhan Singh, the Union Minister for External Affairs. Muizzu's visit to India is on the official invitation of President Droupadi Murmu.

Muizzu also met S Jaishankar, the External Affairs Minister in New Delhi.

"Jaishankar expressed his pleasure in welcoming the President to India, for the state visit. President Dr Muizzu conveyed his gratitude to the Indian government for the warm welcome extended to him and his delegation upon arrival," according to the press release from the President's Office of Maldives, ANI reported.

At the meeting, Jaishankar and Muizzu spoke comprehensively on fostering and maintaining good relations between both countries, Maldives Foreign Ministry said in a release to ANI.

The two sides reviewed the advancement of ongoing projects funded by the Indian government and talked about exploring more avenues that would benefit both nations and be in line with the current development priorities of the Maldives.

President Muizzu, along with the First Lady, also interacted with the Maldivian community residing in New Delhi.

During the interaction, they inquired about the community's well-being, noted their challenges and concerns, and reaffirmed the administration's dedication to addressing the issues.

This is Muizzu's second trip to India this year after attending the swearing-in ceremony of PM Modi in June of this year, ANI reported

(With Inputs from ANI)