Maldives foreign minister arrives in India on three-day visit

NEW DELHI: Foreign minister of Maldives Mohamed Asim on Wednesday morning arrived in India on a three-day visit.

On Thursday, Asim will meet his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He will leave on Friday.The Maldives foreign ministers' visit to India is of immense significance for bilateral ties that suffered a setback when the Island nation signed a free trade pact with China late last year.

After the signing of the free trade agreement, the ministry of external affairs had said that the Maldives should be sensitive to India's concerns and keep in mind the "India First" policy.

The visit comes after Maldives' president Abdulla Yameen assured that a free trade agreement would be signed with India first.