PM to visit Maldives, Sri Lanka from Saturday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a visit to Maldives and Sri Lanka from June 8 to 9, in reflection of continued priority for the neighbourhood in his second term, the External Affairs Ministry said on Thursday.

Modi will first travel to Maldives, in his first bilateral visit after retaining power in the Lok Sabha polls.

Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said Modi is visiting Sri Lanka on June 9 with a very clear message of solidarity in the wake of the Easter bombings.

On Modi's visit to Maldives, Gokhale said it will be a first PM-level trip to that country since 2011 and both sides will aim to further consolidate overall ties in diverse sectors.

The prime minister visited the Maldives in November to attend President Ibrahim Solih's swearing-in ceremony, signalling the importance India attaches to the island nation. However, it was not a full-fledged bilateral visit.

The relations between India and the Maldives deteriorated after the then President Abdulla Yameen imposed ...