Leaders from India’s neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean region participated in the swearing-in ceremony of PM Narendra Modi for the third straight term at the iconic Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Sunday.

The leaders who attended the ceremony included President of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe; President of Maldives,  Mohamed Muizzu; Vice-President of Seychelles, Ahmed Afif; Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina; Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth accompanied by his spouse; Prime Minister of Nepal, Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’; and Prime Minister of Bhutan, Tshering Tobgay. Leaders of Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan were accompanied by Ministers.

Following the swearing-in ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with the visiting leaders in Rashtrapati Bhavan.

"The leaders congratulated him for taking oath as the Prime Minister of India for the historic third consecutive term," read a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.

Thanking them for gracing the occasion, the Prime Minister reaffirmed India’s commitment to its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and ‘SAGAR Vision’, the statement said.

"Prime Minister emphasized that in his third term, India will continue to work for the peace, progress and prosperity of the region in close partnership with the countries, even as it pursues its goal of VIKSIT BHARAT by 2047," the statement said.

In this context, he called for deeper people-to-people ties and connectivity in the region. He further added that India would continue to amplify the voice of the Global South in the international arena.

The leaders also attended a Banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.