Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, 17 November, attended the inauguration ceremony of Maldives President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. This was Modi's first visit to the Maldives as prime minister.
Prior to his visit, Modi in a series of tweets said: "I will convey to the new Maldivian Government of Solih the desire of the Indian government to work closely for realisation of their developmental priorities, especially in areas of infrastructure, health care, connectivity and human resource development.”
He said the recent elections in the Maldives represent the collective aspirations of the people for democracy, rule of law and a prosperous future.
"We in India strongly desire to see a stable, democratic, prosperous and peaceful Republic of Maldives," the prime minister said.
He also congratulated Solih on his victory in the recent elections and wished him “the very best for his tenure”.
Modi had recently accepted the invitation extended by Solih to attend his swearing-in ceremony.
(With inputs from PTI.)