President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and First Lady Fazna Ahmed have returned to the Maldives after concluding an unofficial visit to Saudi Arabia to perform this year’s Hajj pilgrimage.
President Solih and First Lady Fazna traveled to Saudi Arabia on July 4. They were accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid, Chief of Staff at the President’s Office Ali Zahir, and Commissioner of Police Mohamed Hameed.
During the trip, President Solih and First Lady Fazna met with the Maldivian Hajj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia. This was the first time in recent history that a president had met with Maldivians during their pilgrimage. A total of 453 Maldivian Pilgrims traveled to Saudi Arabia to perform this year’s Hajj pilgrimage and the president has been closely monitoring their travel and accommodation arrangements.
Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr. Ahmed Zahir Ali also traveled to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage. President Solih appointed Minister Zahir as the Amir al-Hajj from the Maldives for this year. Every year, the president appoints a senior state official to act as the head of the pilgrims during the Hajj season.
The Maldives Hajj Mission has stated that all Maldivian Hajj pilgrims are in good health and will begin returning home on July 20. The pilgrims will return in three groups on July 20, 23, and 27 on Saudia flights. The government has commenced preparations to accommodate their return journeys.
The Saudi government allowed one million people in the country to perform the Hajj pilgrimage this year, following the removal of COVID-19 restrictions. The amount is less than half of the 2.5 million people that were previously allowed to enter Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.