Indian PM Modi to address at Parliament on Saturday

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver a speech at the Maldivian Parliament next Saturday, the parliament office has announced.

Speaking at a press conference held by the office on Sunday, Secretary General of the Parliament Fathimath Niusha revealed that the sitting is scheduled for 6.45pm on June 8.

Cabinet ministers and other senior officials of the government in addition ambassadors of both counties will be invited to the ceremony, she added.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih made a request at the parliament to arrange for PM Modi to address at the parliament during his upcoming visit to the Maldives. The request was approved with the agreement of all members present during the vote. According to parliament rules, the approval of the parliament must be sought in order for a foreign diplomat to address at the parliament.

PM Modi is scheduled to arrive in the Maldives on Friday ,June 7. The two-day visit is the influential politician’s first visit abroad after being re-elected for a second term in the recent Indian general elections. While PM Modi attended President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s swearing in ceremony last November, President Solih’s first trip broad after he assumed the role of President was also to India.

The current Maldivian government is making several efforts to strengthen the relations between both countries after the relationship with India grew strained during former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom’s presidency.