Maldivian President Mohammed Muizzu landed in New Delhi on Sunday seeking financial assistance as the island nation faces an economic crisis, with dwindling foreign reserves and rising risk of debt default.

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu and First Lady of Maldives, Sajidha Mohamed arrived in New Delhi on Sunday, for his first bilateral visit to India.

A warm welcome to President @MMuizzu of Maldives as he arrives in New Delhi on a State Visit to India. Received by MoS @KVSinghMPGonda at the airport. The visit will provide further boost to this long-standing 🇮🇳-🇲🇻 comprehensive bilateral partnership. #NeighbourhoodFirst pic.twitter.com/FHoNN4C0U3

Since then, ties have been strained between the countries but experts say the visit indicates that the Maldives can't afford to ignore its giant neighbour. The foreign exchange reserves of the Maldives stood at about $440m (£334m) in September,

This will be Muizzu’s first bilateral visit to India, though he came to New Delhi in June to attend Modi’s swearing-in ceremony.

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu will pay a five-day visit to India beginning Monday with an aim to reset ties that came under some strain since November last year

This will be the first bilateral visit of Mohamed Muizzu to India. He had earlier visited New Delhi in June 2024 to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.