The Maldivian first couple has concluded their official visit to Qatar.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and First Lady Fazna Ahmed returned home on Thursday.

They departed to Qatar on December 12 and their visit came upon the official invitation of the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

During the visit, President Solih met with the Managing Director and CEO of the Ooredoo Group, Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo, and the senior management of the company.

During the meeting with the senior officials of Ooredoo Group, President Solih shed light on the strong bonds of trust and goodwill between the Maldives and Qatar and touched upon the work of Ooredoo Maldives, one of the Maldives' largest telecommunications companies.

Speaking about the telecom giant, President Solih applauded its CSR initiatives around the world including in the areas of health, nutrition, women's empowerment, and disaster risk reduction.

Highlighting that Ooredoo Maldives has played an essential role in strengthening technological cooperation and the overall development partnership between Maldives and Qatar, the Maldivian president shed light on the company's digital literacy programme, an accelerator programme aimed to provide a platform for youth innovations, and Hulhumalé "Smart City" initiative to help bridge the Maldives' digital divide.

Both sides expressed hope for Ooredoo to continue providing the latest telecommunications services in Maldives and expand Ooredoo’s contributions to Maldivian society before concluding the meeting.

During a meeting held in the Maldives back in May, the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ooredoo Maldives, Khalid Hassan Al-Hamadi invited the Maldivian president to attend a game in the ongoing 2022 FIFA World Cup being held in Qatar.

The meeting also saw Ooredoo Maldives MD and CEO Al-Hamadi presenting the Maldivian president with an Adidas Al-Rihla, the official match ball for the tournament.

The visit saw President Solih and First Lady Fazna attending the semifinal matches of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022, hosted in Qatar.

The visit symbolized the close and stable bilateral relations enjoyed between the Maldives and Qatar.