President Mohamed Nasheed conferred the Order of Distinguished Rule of
Izzuddeen to Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin AbdulAziz Alsaud of Saudi
Arabia yesterday.
The medal was given to the prince under article 115 of the
constitution, in recognition of his important contributions to the
development of the Maldives as well as his services globally to
promote Islam, democracy and understanding.
The Order of Distinguished Rule of Izzuddeen was created in 1972 and
is among the highest ranking honours conferred by the state. It is
named after Sultan Hassan Izzuddeen, the Maldivian hero who liberated
the Maldives from foreign rule in the 18th century.
Upon arrival at Muleeage, Prince Alsaud and Princess Ameera were
welcomed with an honour guard conducted by the Maldives National
Defence Force.
At the ceremony, the president said the medal was given to the prince
because of his work “in representing democratic forms in Islamic
countries”.
He added he hoped close ties between the Maldives and Saudi Arabia
would continue to strengthen in the future.
Prince Alsaud praised the president for the smooth transfer of power
that took place in Maldives following the country’s first multi-party
election.
He said that “any investment opportunity that helps the Maldives…we
will be the first to lead in having it executed.”
The prince further commended the Maldives’ efforts to bring climate
change to the world’s attention.