Kuwait, PH want to forge stronger ties

“We had a very warm and productive discussion and both of us are convinced that while bilateral relations are stronger than ever, we should not stop there. We both agreed to continue creating the right environment to further strengthen these ties.” (KING RODRIGUEZ/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)

MANILA – Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and Kuwait Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah agreed on Thursday to continue moving forward and working together to further strengthen ties between both countries.

Meeting on the sidelines of the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the two top diplomats said the current momentum in bilateral relations should allow both countries to explore other areas where they could cooperate.

“We had a very warm and productive discussion and both of us are convinced that while bilateral relations are stronger than ever, we should not stop there. We both agreed to continue creating the right environment to further strengthen these ties,” Cayetano said after his meeting with his Kuwaiti counterpart.

Cayetano said he and Al-Sabah also discussed the planned visit of President Rodrigo Duterte to Kuwait, as well as the peace process in Mindanao and possible trade and investment opportunities for the Kuwait private sector.

He said he also thanked Al-Sabah for his offer to provide development assistance to Mindanao through the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, where he serves as chairman.

Meanwhile, Cayetano also expressed gratitude for the hospitality extended to the more than 255,000 Filipinos working in Kuwait via the amnesty program that paved the way for the repatriation of more than 5,000 undocumented Filipinos.

Cayetano was accompanied in the meeting by Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola, and Acting Assistant Secretary for Public Diplomacy Elmer Cato.