President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Monday met the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, for official talks as part of his official visit to the country.
The meeting was held at the Amiri Diwan, the Amir’s Administrative Office.
Upon arrival, President Solih was received by the Amir. The President also inspected a guard of honour before being introduced to senior members of the Qatari State.
Both leaders discussed ways to strengthen the bilateral ties between the countries.
They also spoke about the effects of global pandemic COVID-19 on their respective countries. President Solih noted that the pandemic brought to the surface the need for Maldives to expedite 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, remarking that it has one of the lowest mortality rates in the world.
Additionally, the leaders also spoke on increasing people-to-people contact and business interactions between the countries in order to facilitate good bilateral relations and increase mutual investment opportunities.
During the meeting, President Solih relayed his intention to appoint a non-resident Maldivian Ambassador to Qatar, as a means to further enhance bilateral relations.
Concluding the discussions, the president 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.
After the talks, President Solih and his delegation attended an official lunch hosted in his honour by Sheikh Hamad Al Thani.
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 delegation includes Minister of Foreign Abdulla Shahid, Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Aishath Nahula, the President’s Chief of Staff Uz Ali Zahir, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed Khaleel, Secretary, Foreign Relations Sabra Ibrahim Noordeen, and Chief Communications Strategist at the President’s Office Ibrahim Hood,
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