I have just concluded a short, but highly productive visit to the United Arab Emirates. We did this as we commemorate 50 years of very strong and friendly, and rapidly progressing bilateral ties between our two countries.

At this brief visit, I reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to further strengthen our bilateral ties, progressing towards new spheres of engagement.

I look forward to the implementation of several bilateral agreements in culture, energy transition, legal cooperation, artificial intelligence and digital economy, the improvement of government activities, visa waiver for holders of diplomatic, special, and official passports, and investment cooperation.

During my meeting with UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, I expressed the appreciation of the Philippines for UAE Government’s care and respect for the Filipino community in the UAE.

In response, the UAE President commended the Filipino people for their contributions towards UAE’s development.

I thanked Sheikh Al Nahyan for understanding that my visit had to be cut short, given the need to attend to relief and reconstruction activities in communities devastated by successive typhoons.

I also conveyed appreciation for the UAE Government’s constant humanitarian support for victims of these natural calamities.

I invited His Highness to return visit to the Philippines in the coming months to continue our dialogue and to explore further areas of cooperation.

Maraming salamat po.

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