President Mohamed Muizzu expressed his thanks to India’s outgoing High Commissioner to the Maldives, Munu Mahawar, for his efforts in maintaining and building on the close relations between the Maldives and India during a critical juncture.
Mahawar, before taking leave after completing his term as High Commissioner, paid a farewell call on the President on Thursday. The meeting took place at the President’s office.
“During the meeting, the President expressed his appreciation for the High Commissioner’s efforts to strengthen relations between the two countries. He noted that the High Commissioner’s tenure coincided with a pivotal phase in Maldives-India relations, during which the friendship and bilateral cooperation between the nations experienced significant revitalisation,” a statement by the President’s Office read.
Relations between the two countries had deteriorated to unprecedented levels in the lead-up to, and immediately after, the Muizzu administration took office in November 2023.
Contentious issues such as the expelling of Indian troops from the Maldives and indelicate statements by some of Muizzu’s senior political appointees regarding India and Indian officials served only to widen the rift between the two nations, especially with an administration many perceived as distancing itself from traditional ally India from the outset.
However, recent interactions with India, including Muizzu’s official visit to Delhi and a credit swap agreement between the central banks of the two nations as the Maldives faces severe foreign exchange pressures, seem to signal a mending of fences.
According to the statement issued by the President’s Office, Mahawar, during the farewell call, reaffirmed India’s support for the development of the Maldives and commended the President’s leadership and collaborative approach, which the High Commissioner credited as having helped address challenges and further strengthened bilateral ties.
The implementation of the vision document agreed between the two countries in October, as well as ways in which implementation of the agreement can be accelerated, was also discussed, the President’s Office said.
Mahawar, who joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1996, has served as High Commissioner of India to the Maldives since 10 November 2021, after previously having served as Ambassador of India to Oman — he has also served in diplomatic missions in Moscow and Geneva.
G. Balasubramanian, India’s High Commissioner-Designate to the Maldives is expected to take up his commission in the Maldives soon, India’s External Affairs Ministry confirmed on Monday.
Balasubramanian, who most recently served as High Commissioner of India to Nigeria, joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1998. He has served at diplomatic missions in Moscow, Dushanbe, Washington DC, and Bangkok, including as Deputy Chief of Mission in Bangkok and Moscow.