About Mohamed Muizzu
In recent months, President Mohamed Muizzu has focused heavily on strengthening ties with India, hosting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Maldives in July 2025 for the country's 60th independence day celebrations. During a joint press conference, Muizzu announced the signing of four memoranda of understanding and three agreements, including a $565 million line of credit from India for priority projects in defense, sports, healthcare, education, and housing. He also stated that negotiations for a free trade agreement between the two countries had been initiatedikuha. Muizzu described Modi as "a wonderful person" who is "very fond of building the relationship between its neighbors," and said that India "will be a very crucial partner in going forward." He expressed hope that a UPI payment arrangement would boost tourism and people-to-people exchanges, and said he planned to visit India later in the year.
Muizzu has also been active on the global stage, addressing the UN Summit of the Future and COP29, where he called for urgent climate finance reform and debt forgiveness linked to climate resilience milestones for small island developing states. He launched the Maldives Islamic Social Finance Initiative in May 2025 and has promoted economic diversification through port services, special economic zones, and a development bank. Regarding China, Muizzu said that China will help with development projects that take environmental problems into account, and that the Maldives enjoys a "good relationship" with China based on mutual respect and non-interference. He has also stated that there are "no serious concerns" with bilateral agreements made with India, a shift from his earlier campaign rhetoric that had criticized those deals.
Source: AI-verified profile updated from Mohamed Muizzu's recent appearances.
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✨ AI-enhanced transcript with speaker attribution
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Mohamed Muizzu0:03
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I extend our gratitude to the government and people of Azerbaijan for the exceptional hospitality and leadership. We pledge our full support to ensure the success of this COP. We also congratulate the UAE for its successful COP28 presidency. Vulnerable, this is how the Maldives is often portrayed, but we are a nation of extraordinary fortitude. We speak not from desperation but from a belief in the power of collective action. Our story is not of fragility; it is a testament to resilience, leadership, and international cooperation. Since hosting the first small states conference 35 years ago, we have called for stronger climate action. Our call has not changed, our course has not strayed, because for us the environment and the ocean are more than resources; they are our cultural identity. Their protection remains our sacred duty. At COP28, I shared my vision for a climate-resilient Maldives. Despite formidable challenges, we are now seeing the dawn of hope. We recently launched our energy policy and roadmap, green initiatives to strengthen food security and affordable housing, and economic diversification through expanding port services and special economic zones, in addition to new development banking, unlocking new investment opportunities. We will soon unveil our 20-year vision, the blueprint for a sustainable, climate-resilient, developed nation by 2040. Mr. President, it is the lack of finance that inhibits our ambitions, which is why this COP, the finance COP, we need to deliver. The new climate finance goal must reflect the true scale of the climate crisis; the need is in trillions, not billions. It must consider the special circumstances of small island developing states. It must include adaptation, mitigation, and loss and damage, and increase contributions to it. As we approach the next round of nationally determined contributions, developed nations must increase their ambition to close the emissions and finance gap and align with the 1.5-degree goal. Mr. President, as we look around the globe, we see funds flowing freely to wage war but scrutinized when it's for climate adaptation. We need to reprioritize and revise the international financial system. We must choose the path that changes lives, not the climate. My delegation here is determined that the finance goal should be scored right here in Azerbaijan. Mr. President, 28 COPs later, emissions still rise, finance still falls short, and our hope fades. Let us prove this time it will be different. I thank you.
