DUBAI: There is a standing invitation for President Duterte to hold a state visit to the UAE, according to Ambassador Hjayceelyn Aurora Quintana, who likewise told The Filipino Times in an exclusive interview that making it happen is all a matter of timing.
“We have a very strong relationship with the UAE. There have always been talks about having future visits. We are trying to determine the timing for that,” the ambassador said.
“This is high-level meeting, there should be preparations. It will happen. The president has expressed his interest,” she added.
Asked if the president would be meeting with overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the UAE, Quintana said: “There is always that element in all the state visits that has been done.”
Duterte got 51,879 or 83.5% of the total 62,103 actual votes in the UAE during the 2016 presidential election, according to the Philippine Embassy.
Duterte visited three Gulf States from April 10 to 16 in 2017, among them Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. It was his first visit to the Gulf.
Prior to that, there have been indications from the Philippine Embassy and an announcement from then acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr., a dorm mate of Duterte’s back in their college days, about state visit to the UAE.
The planned visit was postponed at least three times because Duterte had to attend major regional events in his official capacity as president.
Quintana was Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) when Duterte held a state visit to the three Gulf countries.
“It was very, very significant because the president is highly regarded in this part of the world. He is respected by the leaders. The talks have been very substantive. The president has a very good grasp of the trends here and the issues that are being faced,” the ambassador said.
Should the visit pushes through, Quintana said she thinks the president “will be looking at expanding and strengthening his relationship.”
(Photos are files from the president’s Gulf visit in 2017.)
