The First Couple of Maldives has departed on an official trip to the Republic of Türkiye.

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu and First Lady Sajidha Mohamed departed to Türkiye, on Sunday morning.

The President and his spouse are visiting Türkiye at the invitation of the President of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. A high-level delegation is accompanying the President and the First Lady on the visit.

The President's Office disclosed that President Dr. Muizzu is scheduled to meet senior government officials of Türkiye to explore potential areas for mutual collaboration and enhance the diplomatic ties between the two countries, during the visit.

Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye Mehmet Nuri Ersoy has earlier stated that investors from Türkiye are willing to make reciprocal investments in the Maldives.  Minister Ersoy noted that relations between the Maldives and Turkey had strengthened especially in recent years under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The Turkish minister also invited President Muizzu to undertake a visit to Turkey in the near future.

He went on to state that the government of Türkiye remains hopeful of fortifying partnerships with the Maldives in tourism, education, and travel industries by expanding the number of flights to the Maldives.

President Muizzu expressed commitment to enhance bilateral ties with Türkiye, given the similar cultures and beliefs shared between the two countries.

Furthermore, it was disclosed that the President will return to Maldives after attending the U28th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28 UAE), to be held in the United Arab Emirates on November 30, 2023.

Ambassador of the United Araba Emirates (UAE) to the Maldives, Abdullah Bin Sultan Bin Awad Al Nuaimi extended an official invitation to President Dr. Muizzu to participate in the COP28 UAE, during his courtesy call on the President, on 18 November.

During his address at the official reception held at Hotel Jen, commemorating the 52nd Union Day of the UAE, on 21 November, President Dr. Muizzu announced his decision to travel to Dubai to attend the COP28 summit later this month. He also assured that the Maldives will support UAE to ensure the success of COP28, and to deliver concrete outcomes under the UAE Presidency.