President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu decided to travel to Saudi Arabia on his first official visit, newspapers in the Maldives and Saudi Arabia reported last week. The trip was scheduled for November 23, according to the reports.
When Adhadhu contacted the President's Office on November 22 regarding the media reports, Communications Minister Ibrahim Khaleel said he heard of the visit from the media but that "communications has not been informed yet."
Both the date of the President's Saudi visit and the postponement were determined by the media, he said.
"He has been planning a Saudi visit. However, we have not announced from this office a Saudi visit by the President with a date. It was the media that announced it and the media that postponed it as well," Khaleel said.
But a credible source with knowledge of the visit who was involved in the planning confirmed to Adhadhu that the President's visit had to be postponed because of a report presented to the Saudi government by an envoy upon his return after attending Muizzu's swearing-in ceremony.
The Saudi Arabian envoy who attended President Muizzu's swearing-in ceremony was Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal bin Fadhil.
In the report presented to the Saudi government about his trip, the envoy expressed displeasure about his treatment by Muizzu's government and the hospitality shown to him, as a result of which it is likely that the postponed visit could be canceled, the source said.
Despite the postponement of President Muizzu's visit, a day before it was due to take place, the Saudi government's cabinet approved signing a trade agreement with the Maldives.
According to Saudi Arabia's national news agency, a decision was made at the meeting chaired by King Salman bin Abdulaziz to engage in talks with the Maldives Economic Development Ministry on signing the trade agreement with the Maldives.
Neither country's government has provided any information about the matter since then.
