His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Secretary Enrique A. Manalo of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs met on June 4, 2024, to bolster the already strong ties between the two nations. They discussed the relationship and progress between the UAE and the Philippines, especially with the upcoming celebration of their 50 years of diplomatic ties in August.
The discussions, attended by Ambassador Ferdinand Ver, PH Ambassador to the UAE, Mohamed Obaid Alqataam Alzaabi, the UAE Ambassador to the Philippines, and Saeed Mubarak Al Hajri, Assistant Minister for Economic and Trade Affairs, also highlighted mutual interests across sectors and a shared commitment to enhancing regional and international cooperation.
Part of the discussion involved reviewing ways to enhance cooperation in economic, investment, commercial, and developmental sectors. Moreover, the UAE Foreign Minister expressed his pleasure in visiting the country and emphasized the UAE’s eagerness to collaborate. He also highlighted the significant contributions of the Filipino community in the UAE across various sectors, underscoring their importance to the diverse society of the UAE.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on social media showcasing the discussion between the UAE and Philippine officials. In the caption, MOFA stated: “Abdullah bin Zayed and [Secretary Manalo] engage in discussions on bilateral relations between [UAE and Philippines], exploring ways to enhance joint cooperation across various sectors, including economic and development. They also exchanged views on current regional developments.”
Abdullah bin Zayed and @SecManalo discuss bilateral relations between 🇦🇪&🇵🇭, and ways to enhance joint cooperation across various sectors, including economic and development. They also exchanged views on current regional developments. pic.twitter.com/3qucQ7ybWt
— OFM (@OFMUAE) June 4, 2024
In addition, Secretary Manalo also shared his insights from the recent meeting with the UAE Foreign Minister. Expressing optimism for enhanced collaboration, Secretary Manalo highlighted discussions on greater trade and investment, humanitarian assistance, and people-to-people exchanges.
In a social media post, Secretary Manalo said: “I had a productive dialogue today with UAE Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on bilateral, regional, and multilateral issues. We discussed enhanced cooperation through greater trade and investment, humanitarian assistance, and people-to-people exchanges, and look forward to continuous [PH-UAE] engagements at all levels.”
1/2: I had a productive dialogue today with UAE 🇦🇪 Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on bilateral, regional, and multilateral issues. #DFAForgingAhead pic.twitter.com/Vijr5WEaHt
— Enrique A. Manalo 🇵🇭 (@SecManalo) June 4, 2024
This follows the UAE Foreign Minister’s courtesy call with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. In his meeting with the President, Sheikh Abdullah expressed the UAE’s interest in supporting mutual development plans, emphasizing both countries’ shared desire to broaden cooperation for growth and development. He emphasized the importance of the PH-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) which focuses on trade and investment.
with inputs from Emirates News Agency (WAM)
