President Muizzu's Saudi visit postponed
The President is next scheduled to visit the UAE after his visit to Saudi Arabia.
By
Shahudha Mohamed
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has postponed his three-day visit to Saudi Arabia.
The President's Office did not disclose the details of the visit, but Atoll Times has learned that President Muizzu was scheduled to leave for Saudi Arabia on Thursday, his first visit since taking office.
However, President Muizzu is still in Male and has not left for Saudi Arabia, Presidential Office Communications Minister Ibrahim Khaleel told Atoll Times on Thursday evening.
He added that the President's Office would announce the date of the visit once confirmed.
The President is next scheduled to visit the UAE to attend COP28 climate summit.
Saudi Arabia's cabinet on Tuesday approved the start of talks on a trade agreement between Maldives and Saudi Arabia to coincide with the president's visit.
Saudi National News Agency reported on Tuesday that the talks to sign the Maldives-Saudi trade agreement were decided at a cabinet meeting chaired by King Salman bin Abdulaziz. According to the news agency, the meeting decided that:
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The agreement will be signed between the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Maldives
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The Economic Minister and Chairman of the Foreign Investment Authority will lead Saudi Arabia in negotiating the agreement
As the new finance minister told Parliament's Budget Committee this week, he plans to seek external funding for budget support, predominantly from Middle Eastern countries.
The USD 6.5 billion supplementary budget, which has been approved by parliament, requires USD 200 million from abroad. The budget also includes USD 450 million for the new government to cover next year's budget expenditures.
