PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. and Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani are set to discuss today regional issues affecting the Philippines and Qatar, along with efforts to strengthen relations between the two countries during a meeting in Malacañang.
The two leaders are expected to “exchange views on regional issues and to discuss PH-Qatar bilateral relations which now covers cooperation in the areas of labor, climate change, trade and investments, energy security, education, youth, and sports, among others,” according to the Presidential Communications Office.
Ambassador to Qatar Lillibeth V. Pono said on Saturday that high on the agenda of the meeting are the conclusion of agreements and discussion of measures intended to ramp up trade and investment, expand areas of cooperation across various fronts, and combat climate change and human trafficking.
“The Philippines and Qatar have concluded over 20 agreements covering a broad range of thematic areas, including on investments, taxation, air services, labor, establishment of a political consultation mechanism, agriculture, as well as economic, commercial, and technical cooperation,” Pono said.
The last visit of a Qatari leader was in 2012 during a one-day state visit by Amir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, father of the incumbent and the first Qatari head to visit the Philippines.
