Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-nation tour on June 8 and 9. He will visit Maldives and Sri Lanka, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced. This will be his first foriegn visit in his second term. The MEA in a release said, "visits to Maldives and Sri Lanka will demonstrate the priority India attaches to its 'Neighbourhood-First Policy' and the SAGAR Doctrine."

Under the sagar "Security And Growth for All in the Region" doctrine, India has been focussing on regional collaboration while under the Neighbourhood-First Policy, Delhi has accorded priority to its relations with neighbouring countries.

During his Maldives visit, Prime Minister Modi will meet Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and other prominent political leaders.

The release said, "visit is reflective of the new momentum in high-level exchanges between India and Maldives."

During the visit, the Prime Minister will address the Maldivian Parliament.

The last sic months have seen a number of high-level visits between India and Maldives. The Prime Minister had visited the Indian Ocean island country during the oath-taking ceremony of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. This visit was followed by visits by Maldivian foreign minister Abdulla Shahid and President Solih.

In March, Sushma Swaraj, in her capacity as the minister of external affairs under the Modi Govt's first term visited the country in which India announced 100 million rufiyaa grant.

During the first term of his government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the island country of Sri Lanka twice, first in 2015 and then in 2017, when he was Chief Guest at the International Day of Vesak celebrations in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena was in India last week for the oath taking ceremony of Narendra Modi at Rashtrapati bhawan and had a bilateral talk with the Prime Minister later.

Bhutan was the first foreign country that Prime Minister Modi visited in his first term after taking charge in 2014. During that visit, he addressed the joint session of the Parliament.

POINT OF INTEREST

The MEA said in a release that these visits to Maldives and Sri Lanka will demonstrate the priority India attaches to its ‘Neighbourhood-First Policy’ and the ‘SAGAR Doctrine’