Maldives cancelled President Mohamed Muizzu’s meeting with US envoy Sergio Gor last month

Sergio Gor, a close confidante of Donald Trump, was unable to meet Mohamed Muizzu during his visit to Malé on March 23, after a scheduled meeting was cancelled at the last minute.

While Gor met the Maldivian foreign and defence ministers, efforts to reschedule his meeting with Muizzu reportedly led to an offer for a private, closed-door interaction — which the US envoy declined. He subsequently left for Delhi without meeting the Maldivian president.

Though officials have remained tight-lipped, reports suggest Muizzu may have avoided the meeting due to political differences, including his opposition to the US-Israel stance on Iran and criticism of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Another view circulating in Malé is that Muizzu has limited high-level engagements in recent months to avoid external pressure on domestic political and development issues.

The development comes amid mounting challenges for Muizzu at home. His party suffered a major setback in local municipal elections, while a constitutional referendum proposing simultaneous presidential and parliamentary polls was rejected by around 60% of voters. The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party also secured wins in all five city mayoral races.

Maldives is also grappling with financial strain, having sought a rollover of a $400 million loan from India. However, New Delhi has yet to take a decision, with earlier approved extensions already exhausted.

Further complicating ties, despite awarding India the Greater Malé Connectivity Project, Muizzu’s government granted the first phase of the Thilafushi port project to China Harbour Engineering Company earlier this year — a move seen as a shift from prior understandings with India.