President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and First Lady Fazna Ahmed have hosted a banquet for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his delegation.
The banquet was held at Kurumbaa Village, during which President Solih gave a few remarks noting his elation at the perseverance of the close friendship between Maldives and India throughout the years, noting although official bilateral ties have existed between the countries since 1954, the bonds stretch back to over a millennium, over the span of which both people have been influences in each other's civilizational progress, enriching each other's cultures.
The president affirmed his commitment to positively and actively contributing to that relationship, an endeavour which will be greatly aided by our increasing co-operation in many areas, from commerce to human development and health co-operation. During his remarks, the president also congratulated Prime Minister Modi for leading the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to victory in India's Lok Sabha Elections, acknowledging the resounding mandate the citizens of India have given the prime minister to continue his mandate. He expressed confidence the relationship between the two countries will continue to endure in the coming years and will benefit from Modi's continuing stewardship over the Indian people.
Vice President Faisal Naseem along with some members of the cabinet, parliamentarians and foreign diplomats were in attendance at the function.