Prime Minister Modi arrives in Maldives to attend inauguration of President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived Saturday in Rome to attend the inauguration ceremony of Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who surprisingly beat strong man Abdulla Yameen in September.

This is Modi's first visit to the Maldives as Prime Minister. The last visit of an Indian Prime Minister to the island nation of the Indian Ocean was made by Manmohan Singh in 2011.

"I will convey to Mr. Solih's new Maldivian Government the commitment of the Government of India to work closely on the achievement of its development priorities, particularly in the areas of infrastructure, health care, connectivity and health. human resource development, "Modi said in a series of tweets before the visit.

He said the recent elections in the Maldives represented the people's collective aspirations for democracy, the rule of law and a prosperous future.

"In India, we are keen to see a stable, democratic, prosperous and peaceful Republic of Maldives," said the Prime Minister.

Modi also congratulated Solih on his victory in the last election and wished him "the best for his term".

"India and the Maldives share a strong partnership rooted in history, close ties between our peoples and their common aspiration to peace and prosperity." My Government's vision of a development Inclusive 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas' extends to all our neighbors also '' I said.

Modi also said that he would convey to Solih his wish to work with the new Maldivian government in various fields to strengthen bilateral relations.

Solih, the candidate of the opposition Maldivian Democrat party, emerged surprisingly victorious from outgoing President Yameen in the September 23 elections, had launched this invitation during a phone call from Modi.

The Maldives is the only country of the South Asia Regional Cooperation Association with SAARC that Modi has not visited yet. His visit to the strategically vital island of Maldives and a popular tourist destination was canceled in March 2015 due to the unstable political situation at the time.

Relations between India and the Maldives were severely tested by Yameen, who was perceived as close to China. Some decisions made by Yameen, including the imposition of restrictions on working visas for Indians and the signing of a new free trade agreement with Beijing, have also failed in New Delhi.

Relations between India and the Maldives further deteriorated after the imposition of the emergency by Yameen on February 5 this year. India had criticized its decision and called on its government to restore the credibility of the electoral and political process by releasing political prisoners. The emergency lasted 45 days.