The Philippines and the UAE has further formed stronger relations between the two countries with a new systematic process that will ensure timely and effective assistance on various consular matters.
Philippine Ambassador to the UAE, H.E. Amb. Hjayceelyn Quintana and UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC) Assistant Undersecretary for Consular Affairs H.E. Faisal Eissa Lutfi, led the signing of the formal agreement that will create a bilateral mechanism for the protection of the interest of each other’s nationals.
Amb. Quintana hailed the signing of the agreement as another milestone in the further strengthening of PH-UAE cooperation in an important area of the work of the diplomatic missions.
“Excellent people-to-people relations are the bedrock of PH-UAE bilateral relations and the MOU is a testimony to the two countries’ commitment to further protect the interests of their nationals in each other’s country,” said Amb. Quintana.
MOFAIC Assistant Undersecretary Lutfi furthered that the bilateral relations between the Philippines and the UAE trace back in history based on common interests which has witnessed qualitative shifts since the beginning of the global Covid-19 pandemic, a direct contribution to consolidating and advancing these relations on a global scale.
Immediately after the signing ceremony at the UAE’s MOFAIC headquarters, the virtual inaugural Joint Consular Committee Meeting under the MOU was convened, chaired by Lutfi. The Philippine delegation was led by Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro, and was composed of representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai.
The UAE Delegation was headed by H.E. Assistant Undersecretary Lutfi and included representatives from the MOFAIC, Ministry of Interior (MOI), Abu Dhabi Health Services, and the Federal Agency for Identity and Citizenship (FAIC).
