The First Couple has returned from their official visit to the Republic of Rwanda.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and First Lady Fazna Ahmed, accompanied by a high-level delegation of government officials, departed from Velana International Airport (VIA) on Wednesday and arrived in Rwanda on Thursday.

The purpose of the trip was to attend the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

The Maldivian first couple returned on Monday morning.

The Maldivian president was received by the Minister of Local Government, Jean Marie Vianney Gatabazi upon his arrival at Kigali International Airport.

The first couple attended the official opening ceremony of the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), held at the Kigali Convention Centre, Kigali, Rwanda, on Friday.

CHOGM 2022 was held from June 20 to June 25, 2022.

CHOGM brought delegates from 54 nations from Africa, the Caribbean and Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific and sought to strengthen multilateral cooperation, explore new opportunities, and address shared challenges facing future generations.

The official opening was followed by high-level meetings of the delegates to discuss collaboration on topics ranging from trade to health to climate. CHOGM also featured four forums, ministerial meetings, side events and other activities.

The CHOGM 2022 theme was "Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming".

President Solih’s attendance cements further his administration’s continued commitment to cooperate with the international fora on shared goals such as democracy, peace, and prosperity. It also represents participation by the Maldives in the international community to strengthen cooperation on environmental protection, trade growth, democracy support, and education and gender equality.

President Solih also took this opportunity to promote the voice of the small island states on a global platform.

Further, the first couple also attended the Official Welcome Reception and State Dinner hosted by the President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, and First Lady Jeannette Kagame in honour of the visiting high-level delegates.

The Rwandan President hosted the Official Welcome Reception and State Dinner at the "Kigali Convention Centre"

They also attended the banquet hosted by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall on behalf of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

President Solih and First Lady Fazna joined the heads of delegations from the Commonwealth nations for the banquet on Friday.

As part of the trip, the president also met the Mauritius PM on Friday at the Kigali Marriott Hotel in Rwanda.

The meeting saw discussions touching on the similarities between the Maldives and Mauritius in the tourism sector.

President Solih and the Mauritius PM also discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and areas of mutual interest in international cooperation.

Highlighting that the two countries are part of major platforms such as the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations and the Alliance for the Small Island States (AOSIS), the Maldivian president stated that both Mauritius and Maldives depend on the Indian Ocean for commerce, trade and livelihoods.

Further, he noted that Maldives and Mauritius have the opportunity to learn from each other in the tourism sector, particularly in revitalizing the tourism industry’s role in reversing the economic downfall caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The president also expressed hope to strengthen future commercial and economic ties between the two countries.

The Maldivian president also met with Minister of External Affairs of India, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, where discussions were held on the enhanced bilateral relations between Maldives and India.

President Solih and Dr. Jaishankar discussed the bilateral ties between Maldives and India and went on to shed the spotlight on their mutual commitment to improve cooperation in areas of mutual interest and benefit in the years to come.

At the meeting President Solih and Dr. Jaishankar reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthen the cooperation between the two countries in the coming years.

President Solih also attended a luncheon hosted by the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles Philip Arthur George, on behalf of the Queen, for the newly appointed heads of government from the Commonwealth Nations on Friday.

Following the luncheon, the president joined other Commonwealth Heads of Government and their representatives as they came together for a group photograph.

According to the President’s Office, the president’s visit to Rwanda mirrors the incumbent administration’s commitment to engage with the international community, especially with the Commonwealth member states, in promoting democracy, human rights, good governance, multilateralism and world peace.

The incumbent administration seeks to engage in the exchange of expertise and assistance with regard to building inclusive, resilient and environmentally conscious communities through such multilateral forums.

President Solih held bilateral meetings with other world leaders to strengthen the Maldives’ role in the international community, advance its shared interests and contribute to resolving global issues on the sidelines of the meeting.

During the meeting in Kigali where leaders from 54 countries gathered, discussions revolved around youth, women, business and civil society.

The world leaders also engaged in private discussions at the Commonwealth Leaders Retreat, regarding collaboration on the global platform and Commonwealth priorities.

CHOGM 2022 was the first meeting to be held since the island nation rejoined to the Commonwealth of Nations on 1 February 2020.