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Duterte extols Bahrain's Prince Khalifa as PH's true friend

Philippines | National

Duterte extols Bahrain's Prince Khalifa as PH's true friend

By Argyll Cyrus Geducos

President Duterte remembered the late Bahraini Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa who died at the age of 84 this week.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (RICHARD MADELO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO/ MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)

In a statement, the Office of the President (OP) said President Duterte was one with the Kingdom of Bahrain in mourning the death of the tiny state's longest-serving prime minister.

"The Philippines joins Bahrain and the international community in mourning the demise of His Royal Highness Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain," the OP's statement read.

"President Duterte conveys deepest sympathies to His Majesty, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the members of the Royal Family and the Government of Bahrain in this time of great sadness and grief," he added.

The OP likewise said President Duterte recognized Khalifa as one of the Philippines's true friends.

"His Royal Highness was a true friend of the Philippines and occupies a special place in the collective memory of the Filipino nation," it said.

The late Prince oversaw the development and rapid transformation of the Bahraini nation for nearly five decades.

Over the years, and especially during the administration of President Duterte, the Philippines and Bahrain have grown ever closer, with the Kingdom taking its place as one of the Philippines’ closest partners in the Middle East.

Sheikh Khalifa held the post of prime minister since Bahrain's independence in 1971.

State media reported that the Prime Minister, 84, died on November 11 at Mayo Clinic Hospital in the United States.

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