President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is seeing a stronger collaboration between the governments of the Philippines and Qatar following the two-day state visit of Qatari Amir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani in the country.
โWith the Philippines and Qatar sharing 43 years of deep friendship and cooperation, I am certain that our discussions today will translate to stronger collaboration in common fields of interests,โ President Marcos told the Qatari Amir.
President Marcos warmly welcomed Sheikh Tamim at the Malacaรฑan Palace a few hours before their bilateral meeting where the two leaders shared their common interests for the two countries.
The diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Qatar span 43 years following its formal establishment on May 5, 1981.
President Marcos extended his gratitude to Sheikh Tamim for his visit to the Philippines as he wished him a pleasant stay in the country.
โWe are honored for the inclusion of the Philippines in Your Highnessโ visit to this part of Asia this April โฆ I look forward to a fruitful and productive meeting with you today, with the hope that our discussion will open opportunities to improve and strengthen our bilateral relations at every level,โ he said.
Particularly, President Marcos said that he is looking forward to strengthening their countryโs commercial, government-to-government and people-to-people ties with Qatar.
โThis is our aspiration and I think that if we come toโ if we are agreed that this is the way to go, there is much potential that we can take advantage of,โ the chief executive told Sheikh Tamim.
For his part, Sheikh Tamim said that he is happy for his first state visit to the Philippines as he thanked President Marcos for the warm welcome he extended to the Qatari delegation.
He also emphasized that the Philippines and Qatar will sign various agreements and memorandum of understanding. He added that the Philippines is an important partner of Qatar in many fields, especially in trade and economic cooperation.
โAnd, we aspire to improve this relation to increase communication between the two countries,โ Sheikh Tamim told President Marcos.
โI just had a fruitful discussion with His Excellency, the President. And we had a numerous discussion on common interests that will contribute to developing our relations in different fields. The Philippines is an important partner for us in many fields and especially in trade, economic cooperation,โ he added.
Sheikh Tamim also emphasized that the Philippines and Qatar aspire to improve the relations of the two countries to increase communication and strengthen relations between the private sector of both countries.
He also lauded the Filipino community in Qatar.
โThis is my pleasure to take this opportunity to praise the Filipino community residing in the State of Qatar and their effective contribution to the development progress in our country. I thank you once again, Your Excellency and I wish your country, the Philippines a continued progress and prosperity,โ he said.
Qatar serves as a second home to around 242,609 Filipinos. In 2022, remittances to the Philippines from Qatar amounted to $895.33 million. PND
