Male/IBNS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday arrived in Maldives for a two-day visit to the country after concluding his UK visit.

Significantly, Modi was welcomed by Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu at the airport at a time the two countries have come close to each other in a bid to recover the strained bilateral ties.

Chants of "Vande Mataram" and "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" were heard as the Indian Prime Minister arrived.

He also received a warm welcome from the Indian diaspora.

The diplomatic tension between the countries brewed over the changing strategic alignment in the Indian Ocean region after pro-China Mohamed Muizzu became Maldives President in 2023.

Muizzu had demanded the withdrawal of Indian troops in Maldives leading New Delhi to cautiously deal with the tiff.

A social media conflict between the two nations started after Prime Minister Modi travelled to Lakshadweep and captured some photos on the beach in a bid widely viewed as a promotion of the union territory as a travel destination as an alternative to Maldives, which has remained a favourite spot for Bollywood celebrities.

A widespread call to boycott Maldives tourism grew in a backlash when the Prime Minister's Lakshadweep photos were mocked in Malé.

Over the course of time, India withdrew its troops in Maldives.

In an interesting turn of events, Maldives tourism named Bollywood superstar Katrina Kaif as its global brand ambassador, signalling a normalisation of the bilateral ties.