President Duterte Strengthens Ties with Saudi Arabia During Visit to the Kingdom

President Rodrigo R. Duterte meets with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, His Majesty, King Salman Bin Abdulasis Al Saud. (Photo courtesy of the Saudi Press Agency)

26 April 2017 RIYADH — President Rodrigo Duterte held a successful state visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from April 10 to 12. The highlight of his visit is the meeting with Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, at his private residence on April 11 in which they discussed possible areas of cooperation on economic, trade and security areas.

President Duterte and King Salman witnessed the signing of the following agreements:

1. Agreement on Labor Cooperation for General Workers Recruitment and Employment between the Department of Labor and Employment of the Republic of the Philippines and the Ministry of Labor and Social Development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
2. Memorandum of Understanding Regarding Political Consultations between the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
3. Cooperation Program Between the Foreign Service Institute of the Republic of the Philippines and Prince Saud Al Faisal Institute for Diplomatic Studies of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

President Duterte talks with the Emir of Riyadh, His Royal Highness Prince Faisal Bin Bandar Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. (Photo courtesy of E. Manigo)

President Duterte also spoke in a business forum attended by top business leaders of Saudi Arabia and the Philippines on April 12 and witnessed the signing of investment agreements amounting to $469 million which is expected to generate as much as 16,000 new employment opportunities for the country.

Before leaving for Bahrain, the president spoke before 2,000 members of the Filipino community in the Kingdom at the Riyadh Marriot Hotel where he outlined the government’s fight against corruption, criminality, and promised better working conditions for the Filipinos working in the Kingdom.

Following the cordial meeting between President Duterte and King Salman, 138 Filipinos, including 63 women, 55 men and 20 children, have been repatriated this month after availing of Saudi Arabia’s amnesty program.

For more information, visit www.riyadhpe.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/philembassyriyadh. END

President Duterte (center) together with Acting Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique N. Manalo (left) and Secretary of Labor Silvestre H. Bello III (right) (Photo courtesy of E. Manigo)