President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Monday met the Amir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, for official talks at the Amiri Diwan, the Amir’s Administrative Office. President Solih, accompanied by First Lady Fazna Ahmed, and a high-level delegation, arrived in Doha late Sunday night to commence an official visit.
The two leaders discussed ways of strengthening the bilateral bond between the two countries. The Maldives has long recognised Qatar for its generosity and invaluable contributions to the Maldives’ socio-economic development. The President and the Amir discussed the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in their respective countries. The President noted that Covid-19 has illustrated to the Maldives the need to expedite the diversification of its economy and to focus on building more resilience through decentralisation and sustainable development. He praised the measures taken by the Qatari government to contain the spread of the pandemic, noting it has one of the lowest mortality rates in the world.
The two leaders also spoke about increasing people-to-people contact and business interactions between the Maldives and Qatar, to facilitate good bilateral relations and increase mutual investment opportunities. To further enhance bilateral relations the President relayed his intention to appoint a non-resident Maldivian Ambassador to Qatar.
In conclusion, President Solih expressed his desire to continue to work together with Qatar on issues of global importance, such as climate change, sustainable development and the promotion and protection of human rights. Following the talks, President Solih and his delegation attended an official lunch hosted in his honour by His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani.
On arrival at the Amiri Diwan, President Solih was received by Qatari Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani. The President also inspected a guard of honour before being introduced to senior members of the Qatari State. The President and First Lady are accompanied in their visit to Qatar by Abdulla Shahid, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Aishath Nahula, Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation; Uz Ali Zahir, the President’s Chief of Staff; Ahmed Khaleel, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; Sabra Ibrahim Noordeen, Secretary, Foreign Relations; and Ibrahim Hood, Chief Communications Strategist at the President’s Office.
