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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Marcos to attend ASEAN-Gulf States talks in Saudi Arabia this week

Marcos to attend ASEAN-Gulf States talks in Saudi Arabia this week

Published Oct 16, 2023 04:45 am

President Marcos is making his maiden trip to the Middle East as he will join the first ever summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Saudi Arabia.

Marcos' trip to Riyadh from October 19 to 20 will be eventful as he will attend the ASEAN-GCC Summit, meet with the Filipino community, and hold bilateral talks with Saudi and Bahrain counterparts, Department of the Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary Daniel Espiritu said.

There might also be a business meeting, Espiritu added.

The President's visit to Saudi will be his first trip to the Middle East since assuming the position.

"It will be very fast, more than 24 hours. The meeting [among ASEAN-GCC leaders] will be very focused and activities will be very focused," he said in a press conference.

The upcoming summit will mark the first ever talk between leaders of the 10-member ASEAN and the six-member GCC after the two blocs established their partnership more than three decades ago.

It will "set the tone for the forward movement" on the cooperation between both sides, Espiritu said.

"This is the first summit, and we intend at this time to intensify cooperation between these two regional organizations because the cooperation has not yet been optimized," he said.

"Now it's very important because the GCC is composed of highly-developed Arab economies, and at the same time, they are petrochemical powerhouses, and as well as logistics economies," he added.

Espiritu said GCC members can help ASEAN nations in addressing energy and food security.

The focus of the new era of partnership are political security, economic and socio-cultural collaboration, which the two sides "are going to make more upbeat," according to the official.

Meanwhile, Marcos will also sit down with Saudi and Bahrain leaders on the sidelines of the summit to discuss the Maharlika Investment Fund, conditions of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and the assistance to the Bangsamoro Region.

With Saudi Arabia, the President will follow up with the unpaid salaries of overseas OFWs as well as commemorate the country's 54th year of diplomatic relations with the Kingdom, Espiritu said.

With Bahrain, Marcos will look back on Philippine relations for the past 45 years.

The President's delegation will be composed of a "very lean group," mostly officials from the working level, Espiritu said.

Related Tags

Bongbong Marcos FOREIGN TRIPS ASEAN-GCC Summit gcc Saudi Arabia President Marcos
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