India’s Foreign Secretary Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has arrived in Maldives on an official visit.

He was received by Maldives’ foreign secretary Dr. Ali Naseer Mohamed at Velana International Airport on Wednesday evening.

The foreign secretary is to call on President Abdulla Yameen during his visit, as well as Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohamed Asim. The Ministry also said that he will be holding consultations with his Maldivian counterpart.

Jaishankar was accompanied by Joint Secretary of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) of India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Sanjay Panda and M. Subbarayuda, joint secretary of the DPA III division.

While neither countries had made any announcements prior to the foreign secretary’s arrival, the Maldives foreign ministry has since said that Jaishankar arrived on an official visit.

The foreign secretary’s sudden visit comes as the political atmosphere in the Maldives intensifies, as more key opposition figures are being arrested or put on trial, with United Nations calling on the authorities ‘to uphold necessary conditions for democracy, the rule of law and human rights, in line with the country’s Constitution’.

Furthermore, the European Union, along with the governments of Norway, Switzerland, Canada and the United States of America, called on Maldives ‘to ensure that opposition activities go forth without intimidation or threat of imprisonment”.

On Thursday, charges were raised against two additional opposition figures, Jumhooree Party leader and Maamigilli constituency MP Qasim Ibrahim and Kimbidhoo MP Abdulla Riyaz.