Marcos seeks to expand PH-Saudi Arabia ties

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has expressed his intention to deepen the bilateral relations between the Philippines and Saudi Arabia, where a million Filipinos live and work.

During the farewell call by Saudi Arabia Ambassador Hisham Sultan Abdullah Alqahtani on Thursday, Marcos said Alqahtani's tour of duty in the Philippines had been ''very productive.''

“I know your time here is very productive. Our [relationship] with your country is as strong as ever been, and I think we will continue. We keep going, and we have begun many things as well just during my time here as President,” Marcos said.

“We would like to continue and [become] even deeper and more involved together with the kingdom, and hopefully we can expand on all of the things that we’re already doing. This all happened under your watch,” he added.

Marcos stressed the “very good partnership” created between the two countries.

He also recognized Saudi Arabia’s position in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which, he said, was helpful for the peace effort in Mindanao.

“We are now getting closer and closer to actually having an autonomous region with elective parliament members. And we're working very hard to make sure that it will be a successful effort. It’s so important now that we do that. But again, not just the OIC but also Saudi Arabia has been so supportive of everything that we have been trying to do,” Marcos said.

Alqahtani acknowledged that Filipinos became an important part of Saudi Arabia’s development, especially in the last 40 years.

“We will not forget them,” Alqahtani said.

As part of Saudi Arabia's preparations to host the FIFA World Cup in 2034, Alqahtani stated that the kingdom will need skilled Filipino workers for the rail projects as well as for large-scale projects in Jeddah and the northern region of the country.

Marcos said that the Philippines may send skilled workers as long as there are workers available. — VBL, GMA Integrated News