Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in the Maldives.
The Prime Minister was greeted at Velana International Airport by Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid and Indian Ambassador to the Maldives Mr Sunjay Sudhir.
Upon his arrival in capital Male', he was warmly welcomed by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih at the Republic Square, along with Vice President Faisal Naseem and cabinet ministers and government officials. A guard of honor was presented by Maldives National Defence Force.
This is PM Modi's first visit abroad after securing a second term as the Prime Minister in the Indian General Elections last month, and will be visiting neighboring Sri Lanka after concluding the visit to Maldives. He has stated that visits indicate the importance the Indian government attaches to the policy of ‘Neighbourhood First’ to further cement ties with its key maritime neighbors.
The President's Office has revealed that PM Modi will be honored with Order of the rule of Izzudeen, the highest award given to any foreign national. While five agreements on six key sectors will be signed between both countries during the state visit, PM Modi will also be inaugurating two projects, The Prime Minister is also scheduled to deliver a speech at the Maldives parliament at 6:45pm.
