President Abdulla Yameen’s visit to India – his first official trip overseas – has been postponed, his Press Secretary Ibrahim Muaz Ali has today confirmed .
An official date for the trip is yet to be revealed. However, Indian newspaper ‘The Hindu’ has reported that it will be delayed until next year. According to the paper, the reason is that Indian President Pranab Mukherjee’s will be absent from the capital from 20 December till next year.
President Yameen’s visit was prompted by an Invitation from Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in November, in reply to a letter expressing the President Yameen’s determination to strengthen bilateral relations with India.
Yameen’s trip comes as he attempts to improve the recently-strained Indo-Maldives relationship. As a prelude to the President’s visit, Defense Minister Mohamed Nazim took an official trip to India from 11-15 December, responding to an invitation from his counterpart.
