President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. seeks to broaden cooperation between the Philippines and Saudi Arabia while maintaining their strong existing partnership.
“I know your time here is very productive. Our relation with your country is as strong as ever been and I think we will continue. We keep going and we have begun many things as well just during my time here as President,” Marcos Jr. said during a recent farewell call by Saudi Arabia Ambassador Hisham Sultan Abdullah Alqahtani.
“So we would like to continue and make even deeper and more involved together with the kingdom and hopefully we can expand on all of the things that we’re already doing. This is all happened under your watch,” he also said.
The President highlighted productive discussions with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud and other officials, emphasizing the “very good partnership” between the two nations.
Marcos Jr. acknowledged Saudi Arabia’s role in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which has been instrumental in advancing peace efforts in Mindanao.
“We are now getting closer and closer to actually having an autonomous region with elective parliament members. And (we’re) working very hard to make sure that it will be a successful effort. It’s so important now that we do that. But again, not just the OIC but also Saudi Arabia has been so supportive of everything that we have been trying to do,” he noted.
Alqahtani, in turn, thanked Marcos Jr. for their collaboration, highlighting his successful three-and-a-half-year tenure in strengthening bilateral ties.
He praised Filipinos for their significant contributions to Saudi Arabia’s development over the past 40 years.
“We will not forget them. The development there in Saudi Arabia came with the Philippines also. It’s a common relation, common interest together with the Philippines. And we want to thank you His Excellency, the government, the DFA about the full support in our work especially in support at the international organization,” the ambassador said.IMT
