HIGH LEVEL VISITS
For over three decades, there has been an extensive amount of exchange of visits between the two countries ranging from Heads of State, Heads of Government to Ministers and other high level dignitaries. Former President His Excellency Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has visited India more than sixteen times in different capacities while just about every Prime Minister of India, starting from Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in January 1975, has undertaken Official/State Visits to the Maldives. The first State Visit abroad of the incumbent President of the Republic of Maldives, His Excellency Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom was made to India. Most recent high level visit from India to Maldives was made by Minister of External Affairs His Excellency Salman Khurshid to participate at the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Inter-Summit.
Heads of State/Government Visits
The Maldives
In 1974, Prime Minister Mr Ahmed Zaki made an official visit to India.
In June 1980, His Excellency Mr. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, President of Maldives undertook his first bilateral visit to India. Since then he has undertaken four bilateral visits (February 1985, December 1988, September 1989 and March 1990), five state visits (September 1983, January 1991, March 1994 and August 2000, February 2008), and official visits from 27 March to 1 April 2005 and 27 January 2007 to 1 February 2007 to attend the International Conference on “Peace, Non-Violence and Empowerment -Gandhian Philosophy in the 21st Century” convened by the Indian National Congress.
President Gayoom also visited India in March 1983 to attend the Seventh NAM Summit and in November 1986, May 1995 and April 2007, to attend the Second, the Eighth and Fourteenth SAARC Summits, respectively. In August 1991 and June/July 1998, President Gayoom visited India in his capacity as the Chairman of SAARC.
In June 1991, President Gayoom visited India to commiserate the Indian Government and the late Rajiv Gandhi’s family following his assassination.
In December 2008, His Excellency Mohamed Nasheed, President of Maldives has undertaken a State Visit to India, which was his first visit abroad. President Nasheed later visited India thrice during his tenure in office. President Nasheed visited India in October 2009 to attend Delhi High Level Conference on Climate Change: Technology Development and Transfer, in October 2010 on official visit and in February 2011 on official visit.
Likewise first visit abroad by His Excellency Dr Mohamed Waheed, President of Maldives was to India, in May 2012.
The first State Visit abroad of the incumbent President of the Republic of Maldives, His Excellency Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom was made to India in January 2014.
India
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi made an official visit to the Maldives in January 1975.
Successive Prime Minister’s of India have undertaken official/state visits to the Maldives since then: Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in February 1986, Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh in June 1990, Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar in November 1990 to attend the 5th SAARC Summit, Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao in April 1995 for the formal joint opening of Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral May 1997 to attend the 9th SAARC Summit, and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee Maldives in September 2002. The latest being visit to Maldives by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in November 2011 to attend the 9th SAARC Summit and on a bilateral visit.