Seen as a fresh revival of ties between India and the Maldives, the two countries agreed to work on peace and stability in the Indian Ocean region following a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and new Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Saturday. Mohamed Nasheed and Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, two former presidents who were jailed during Yameen's time in office following trials that were widely condemned as politically motivated, were both present at the oath-taking ceremony. As a candidate for the opposition coalition, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih swept to victory against former president Abdulla Yameen in the September election, prompting the latter to unsuccessfully challenge the results in the small Indian Ocean country's top court. The island nation’s relations with India became strained during Yameen’s rule, with tensions peaking after New Delhi criticised Male’s refusal to enforce a Supreme Court ruling quashing the convictions of nine opposition figures, among them former President Mohamed Nasheed, who had gone into exile. Solih received a 21-gun salute after being sworn in on Saturday as the Indian Ocean island nation's seventh president at a special parliamentary assembly at the national football stadium in the capital, Male. In a series of tweets ahead of the visit, Modi had tweeted, “I will convey to the new Maldivian Government of Mr Solih the desire of the Indian Government to work closely for realisation of their developmental priorities, especially in areas of infrastructure, health care, connectivity & human resource development,”

He said the recent elections in the Maldives represent the collective aspirations of the people for democracy, rule of law and a prosperous future.
Ibrahim Mohamed Solih takes the oath of office and becomes the 7th President of the Maldives.