President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has appointed new ambassadors to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Former Ministers Thoriq Ibrahim and Adam Shareef Umar were appointed as Maldives' ambassadors to the UAE and Qatar respectively. The two presented their credentials during a ceremony held at the President's Office today.

Both appointments were approved by Parliament on Monday. Prior to their appointments, Thoriq and Adam Shareef served as ambassadors-at-large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Thoriq succeeds former ambassador Mohamed Hussain Shareef (Mundhu), who vacated the post after resigning on April 6 to take up the role of chief government spokesperson.

Adam Shareef's appointment marks a milestone in Maldives-Qatar relations, as he becomes the first Maldivian ambassador accredited to Qatar.

The Maldivian Embassy in Qatar was established on June 29 last year, although no resident ambassador had been appointed until now.

Maldives and Qatar established diplomatic relations on May 26, 1984. Relations were severed during the administration of former president Abdulla Yameen amid the Gulf diplomatic crisis, before being restored on March 15, 2021, under former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

Thoriq previously served as environment minister under the administrations of former Presidents Mohamed Waheed Hassan and Abdulla Yameen. He was appointed environment minister when President Muizzu first formed his cabinet and was later transferred to the tourism ministry in February 2025. He resigned from the cabinet in April.

Adam Shareef served as defence minister during Yameen's administration and later represented Maduvvari in the 19th Parliament. He was appointed minister of cities, local government and public works when President Muizzu took office, before leaving the cabinet during a reshuffle following the local council elections.