MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Tuesday he is hoping to establish deeper ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Marcos met with the UAE’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan at Malacañan Palace in Manila.
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“We have built a very close relationship with the UAE. And we hope that we will continue in that pattern and continue to make it better,” Marcos told Al Nahyan.
“I hope that we will be able to extend that relationship further and make it deeper … it is with great, great pleasure and certainly an honor to the Philippines…We’re very happy to see you here and we thank you for finding the time to visit us,” the President added.
Marcos then extended his gratitude to the UAE for its kindness to Filipinos, many of whom work in the Middle Eastern country.
Al Nahyan reciprocated Marcos’ sentiments, saying that the Philippines and the UAE could have a deeper relationship.
“I would say, our relationship is growing, but not enough. We could do much better. We could do much better because I think we have an interest to further enhance it but also the Philippines has shown that it’s been welcoming investors. [We] would like [to] do more trade and we are on the path to finalize – with the Philippines,” Al Nahyan told Marcos.
According to the Palace, the Philippines and the UAE will celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations this 2024.