Ambassador Hjayceelyn Quintana has recently announced that the UAE and the Philippines’ ongoing economic success on trade relations has paved the way for the UAE to be the Philippines’ largest trading partner in the Middle Eastern region.
During her official speech at the Philippine Diplomatic Reception, Quintana expressed her joy in sharing the good news that the strong ties between UAE and the Philippines have made it possible for this gradual yet significant growth to happen. “In the economic field, the UAE has now become the Philippines’ largest trading partner in the Middle East since 2017, and the country will endeavor to enhance cooperation with UAE in the areas of Islamic finance, renewable energy, and of course, food security,” said Quintana.
Expo 2020 preparations underway
The ambassador also informed the public that with the recent announcement and reveal of the design concept of the Philippine Pavilion called ‘Bangkota’, the preparations to get the pavilion ready in time for the Expo has since been accelerated to make sure that the pavilion will be a spectacle that all Filipinos would take pride in sharing towards more than 200 nationalities expected to participate in the biggest expo of the decade.
“The Philippine Government and the Philippine missions in UAE are also accelerating preparations for the Expo 2020 Dubai which 105 million Filipinos, two million of which are in the Middle East, could be proud of,” shared Quintana.
Celebrating 39 years of harmonious ties
The ambassador extended her words of gratitude to the UAE government as the momentous occasion also celebrates almost four decades of harmonious and peaceful relations between the two countries: “This month, we are not just celebrating our country’s freedom, we are also commemorating the 39th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates. We share the same dream for our countrymen: An inclusive and progressive nation. ”
The Philippine Diplomatic Reception that took place at the Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi celebrates the 121st Philippine Independence Day and was attended by UAE government officials, members of more than 50 diplomatic and consular missions from other countries as well as Filipino community leaders in the UAE.
