Nepal PM, Maldives president call on Prez Droupadi Murmu

New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu on Monday met her Maldivian counterpart Mohamed Muizzu and Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

During the meeting with Prachanda, Murmu said Nepal is a priority partner under India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy and conveyed the country's commitment to "further strengthen our unique ties".

Both leaders discussed ways to take forward the developmental initiatives across various sectors in Nepal, which are benefitting the people of both countries, a statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said.

Welcoming President Muizzu, Murmu conveyed her greetings to the new government and the people of the Maldives and expressed confidence that the island nation will continue on the path of prosperity and development under his leadership.

"Both leaders noted the longstanding and multifaceted ties between two countries and highlighted important pillars of our wide-ranging bilateral cooperation including people-to-people linkages, capacity building cooperation, economic and trade relations and development cooperation," the statement said.

The President expressed hope that India-Maldives relations will continue to strengthen in the years to come, it added.

Both Prachanda and Muizzu were among seven leaders from India's neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean region who attended the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Council of Ministers here on Sunday.

This was Muizzu's first visit to India after he became the island nation's president on November 17 last year. The ties between India and the Maldives came under severe strain since Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, took charge of the top office.

Within hours of his oath, he had demanded the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from his country. The Indian military personnel were replaced by civilians earlier this month.