President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih is scheduled to travel to Qatar on an official visit next week.

Taking to Twitter on Thursday, Spokesperson at the President’s Office, Mabrook Azeez confirmed that the president will depart to Qatar on 14 March.

His visit will mark the celebration of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Maldives and Qatar.

Further, the president is also scheduled to travel to Bangladesh on March 17 for a state visit. During his visit the president will commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Rahman served as the country’s first president.

This will be the president’s second trip abroad since the Maldives reopened borders in July 2020 after nearly four months since borders were closed due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Diplomatic relations between Maldives and Qatar were severed during June 2017, when now incarcerated former president Abdulla Yameen was in power. It followed the Saudi Kingdom’s decision to implement a prohibition against Qatar.

Maldives announced the decision to reinstate diplomatic ties with Qatar during January this ongoing year, which was included in the incumbent president’s electoral pledges.