The governments of the Philippines and Qatar recently discussed opportunities to enhance and expand the two countries' partnerships as well as exchange views on mitigating climate change and addressing regional and international issues.
This came after Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs Ma. Theresa Lazaro and Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary-General Ahmed Hasen Al Hammadi participated in the first ever Philippines-Qatar Joint Consultation Meeting on Political Consultations in Doha on August 23.
During the meeting, Lazaro and Al Hammadi also reviewed the bilateral relations of the two countries.
These included matters on cooperation in the areas of culture, tourism, education, sports, trade, investment and economy.
JCM serves as the primary dialogue mechanism with Qatar at the Vice-Ministerial level, where both sides are given the opportunity to discuss issues of common interest, DFA said.
It was formalized through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for the Establishment of Political Consultations on Issues of Common Interest in December 2019. The 2nd PH-QA JCM will be held in Manila next year.