Philippine President to visit UAE on Tuesday

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the first Filipino Head of State and Government to visit the UAE in 15 years and meet with His Highness, Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, shall oversee the signing of agreements that would further cement the diplomatic and bilateral relations between the two nations.

On Saturday, Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Alfonso Ferdinand Ver told Gulf Today: “With the President Marcos visit in the UAE, the Philippines is keen to further boost the positive, robust, and comprehensive state and trajectory of our relationship with the UAE, which is deeply rooted in our common interests, shared values, and mutual cooperation.”

He also said that on the one-day November 26 working visit, President Marcos Jr. “will personally oversee the overall state of bilateral relations between the Philippines and the UAE, and witness the signing of several agreements across a wide array of areas of cooperation such as energy transition, defence, and culture.”

The ambassador termed the visit as a “significant milestone” since it coincides with the 50th anniversary of the “formal diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates.”

Bilateral relations between the two countries have reached a historic high, and have expanded to new and innovative forms of cooperation such as in space science, agriculture, investment promotion and protection, digital infrastructure (data centres), economic and technical cooperation, joint consular assistance and support, and labour, and combating human trafficking, among others, according to Ver.

“Our one million-strong Filipino Community in the UAE looks forward to welcoming President Marcos during his visit, so that he can personally witness how the UAE has become a second home to our people, who have grown and thrived with the opportunities present in this country.”