H H the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrived yesterday in Manila, the Philippines, for a two-day state visit on the first leg of his three-nation Asian tour.
H H the Amir’s Asian tour comes within the framework of His Highness’s wise vision to upgrade Qatar’s strategic relations with Asian countries and enhance these relations by forging qualitative bilateral partnerships in various fields.
For the Philippines, in particular, the visit also acquires a regional dimension in light of the country’s status and its role in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as a country that enjoys economic weight and future importance in shaping regional and global economies.
H H the Amir’s visit to the Philippines coincides with the 43rd anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1981. The Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines was opened in Doha in 1992, while the Embassy of the State of Qatar was opened in Manila in 1994. For more than four decades, the two countries have successfully established productive partnerships in various fields of human endeavour.
Qatar and the Philippines maintain a cordial bilateral relationship, primarily centred around labour migration, trade, and investment. The Philippines is one of the primary sources of foreign manpower supply for Qatar, with a significant number of Filipinos working in various sectors such as construction, healthcare, hospitality, and domestic service.
The two friendly countries share convergent views on many international issues and many bilateral agreements in various fields, such as economy, trade, labour, culture, media, health, education, technical and vocational training, investment protection, the avoidance of double taxation, and others. Of notable significance is the remarkable development in trade relations between the two countries in recent years, with the trade exchange growing 28% in the past three years. In addition, the private sector in both countries can have a significant role in developing these relations by establishing companies, trade alliances, and investment projects.
During the visit, the two leaders are expected to exchange views on regional issues and discuss bilateral relations, which now cover cooperation in the areas of labour, climate change, trade and investments, energy security, education, youth, and sports, among others.
The visit is also expected to serve as a “springboard” for the elevation of ties between the two strategic partners, with several agreements expected to be reached. Without a doubt, the Qatar-Philippines ties are poised to move to a greater level with H H Amir’s visit, pushing the relations to broader horizons for the benefit of the two friendly countries and peoples.
