Colombo: Charmed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “diplomatic spell”, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu and Sri Lankan President Anura Dissanayake – two leaders who backed a strong anti-India policy before coming to power in their respective nations – now seem to have made a major shift in their approach towards New Delhi, the Lankan media cited on Wednesday.
The observations were made during Dissanayake’s ongoing July 28-30 State Visit to the Maldives which took place almost immediately after PM Modi’s landmark visit to Male, last week.
“With the end of Modi’s visit to the Maldives, Sri Lanka’s pro-China JVP leader, President Anura, has gone to the Maldives at the invitation of the Maldivian President. What happened to Anura, and to the JVP, is the same as what happened to the Maldivian President. They also showed a strong anti-India policy before coming to power,” a report by Lankan media outlet Mawrata News stated.
Last December, Dissanayake, while visiting India on what was his first official foreign visit since assuming office, had thanked India for its “immense support” during the unprecedented economic crisis and also assured Prime Minister Modi that he will not allow the island nation to be used in any way that is detrimental to the interest of India.
On July 25, PM Modi arrived in Male on a two-day State Visit to participate in the Maldives’ 60th Independence Day celebrations as the Guest of Honour.
This was Prime Minister Modi’s third visit to Maldives – he had visited the Indian Ocean archipelago in 2018 and 2019, earlier – and the first by a Head of State or Government to Maldives during the Presidency of Mohamed Muizzu which began in November 2023.
In a special gesture, President Muizzu had welcomed PM Modi at the airport in Male as he arrived from the United Kingdom. Maldives Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, Finance Minister and Minister of Homeland Security were also present at the airport to welcome PM Modi.
Breaking with tradition, Muizzu had not made India his first State Visit after assuming the presidency, signalling a clear shift in his foreign policy. He also permitted the Chinese research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 3 — perceived as a surveillance ship — to dock in its waters, raising Indian concerns about potential data collection by Chinese to support submarine operations in the region.
However, Muizzu’s Five-day State Visit to India in October – his second trip to the country in four months after having also attended the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Modi – highlighted a significant diplomatic shift. Muizzu, who previously backed an “India Out” campaign in the Indian Ocean archipelago, now sought to navigate the complex relations while balancing the country’s ties with China.
This year already, in the first six months, New Delhi has seen nearly half a dozen ministerial level visits from the Maldives. External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar’s very first engagement in 2025 was with the Foreign Minister of Maldives.
“Modi’s view of Maldives was that of a younger brother who is angry with his older brother and would come back to him after the anger is over. Modi was right. Finally, the Maldivian President went to India to seek Modi’s help in resolving the Maldivian economic crisis. Modi also forgot the old grudge and helped him,” reported Mawrata News.
(IANS)
