In the official visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Maldives, President Mohamed Muizzu again strongly denounced the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam and reiterated that his country stood by regional security cooperation with India.
Speaking at a special briefing organized by the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that President Muizzu condemned the attack and guaranteed that Maldives will support India and collaborate on similar security-related issues.
"President Muizzu reaffirmed Maldives' condemnation of the Pahalgam attack and expressed solidarity with India and its people," Misri added. "He also emphasized the value the Maldives attaches to security cooperation and reaffirmed the commitment of both to continue cooperating closely."
On April 22, Pahalgam experienced a terrorist attack that killed 26 civilians and left at least 17 other people injured. Following this, the Indian reaction came very soon. On May 7, India initiated Operation Sindoor, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The Pakistani military response was effectively challenged as India struck multiple airbases.
During his interaction with President Muizzu, Prime Minister Modi thanked the Maldives for their strong condemation of the attack and for standing with India in its continued struggle against terrorism.
India-Maldives security cooperation is still strong with constant engagement between their respective security apparatuses. Misri stressed that both countries are interested in protecting not just their individual security interests but also regional stability in general.
Prime Minister Modi is undertaking a two-day visit to the Maldives on the invitation of President Muizzu. The visit is a follow-up on diplomatic outreach with the purpose of strengthening bilateral cooperation in security, development, and regional cooperation.
