HM King, Philippine President reaffirm ties
Manama : His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa received Philippines President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and the accompanying delegation at Sakhir Palace yesterday.
An official reception was held in honour of the Philippine President at the palace. The two leaders headed to the podium of honour, and the national anthems of the two countries were played. They inspected the guard of honour lined up to salute them. HM, the King and the Philippine President held talks on expanding cooperation in all fields.
HM praised the Philippine leader’s keenness on developing bilateral relations in the interests of both countries and their peoples. The two leaders held talks in the presence of the delegations of the two countries.
Pacts signed
A number of agreements were signed during the meeting. Foreign Affairs Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa represented Bahrain in the signing ceremony and Philippine Acting Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo represented the Philippine side. The MoUs signed during the meeting were:
1 On the establishment of a Joint High Commission on Bilateral Cooperation between Bahrain and Philippines.
2 On cooperation between the Diplomatic Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Foreign Service Institute of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. The Foreign Affairs Minister and Philippine Acting Foreign Secretary signed the MoU.
3 Protocol on amending few articles of the agreement between Bahrain and the Philippines on the Avoidance of Double Taxation signed by Finance Minister Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa and the Philippine Acting Foreign Secretary.
4 Protocol on regulating air transport services between Bahrain and the Philippines was signed by Transportation and Communications Minister Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed and the Philippine Secretary of Transportation Arthur Tugade.
HM the King and the Philippine President welcomed the agreements that will further boost bilateral relations in the interest of the countries and their people.
HM the King stressed the Philippine President’s visit represents a vital step towards strengthening bilateral relations and broadening cooperation in various areas, chiefly trade, economic and investment.
HM the King emphasized the role of the Joint High Commission on Bilateral Cooperation in promoting bilateral cooperation and holding joint investment projects to contribute to the further expanding trade exchange. He highlighted Bahrain’s suitable investment environment and flexible laws that have attracted leading world banks and companies to establish their headquarters in Bahrain.
HM the King expressed appreciation of the Philippine community’s contributions to the development march witnessed by Bahrain. He also commended the Philippines Republic achievement at the Asian level in economic and development fields.
Regional and international developments were also discussed, as well as topics of mutual interest.
The Philippine President thanked HM the king for the warm reception and hospitality, lauding the HM the King’s keenness on boosting Bahraini-Philippine relations.
He underlined his country’s eagerness to further bolster friendship relations with the Kingdom of Bahrain, commending the development seen by Bahrain and the policy of openness adopted that contributed to bring progress and prosperity.
A dinner banquet was hosted by HM the King in honour of the Philippine President and the accompanying delegation.
Related Posts