President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has said that his State visit to Saudi Arabia has strengthened the close brotherly bonds between the Maldives and Saudi Arabia. The President made this remark while speaking to the media at the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport, on arrival from Saudi Arabia this afternoon. The President’s State visit to Saudi Arabia was made on 18th March, on the invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud.
Highlighting his meetings with the King and Ministers of the Saudi Arabian Government, the President said that Saudi Arabia was committed to aiding the Maldives in the areas of economy, education, health, and defence. He also revealed that bilateral agreements will be signed between the two countries in the near future, symbolising the close ties shared by the two countries.
Speaking to the media, the President noted that the Saudi Arabian Government has increased its allocation of scholarships to Maldivian students to one hundred and fifty, from its original fifty scholarships. The President also said that during his meeting with the Saudi Fund for Development, they have agreed to continue to finance the development projects in the Maldives.
