MANILA, 26 May 2004 — The Kingdom’s new ambassador to the Philippines called yesterday on Foreign Secretary Delia Domingo Albert and promised to work for stronger ties between the two countries.
Ambassador Mohammed Ameen Wali said he would work for the expansion of ties particularly in trade and economic cooperation.
“Ambassador Wali and I agreed to work on the signing of agreements on which we can further anchor our economic cooperation,” Albert said after the meeting.
Wali is the fifth Saudi ambassador to the Philippines. He replaced Ambassador Sale Al-Ghamdi, who had been reassigned to India.
Before his assignment to the Philippines, he served as minister plenipotentiary in the Saudi Embassy in Japan for three years.
Albert said she and Wali discussed ways to further improve trade relations between the two countries, particularly with Saudi Arabia’s accession to the World Trade Organization.
She expressed appreciation for the Saudi government’s cooperation in the successful conduct of the Overseas Absentee Voting in the Kingdom. Albert also expressed appreciation for Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the approximately 920,900 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the Kingdom.
“I also discussed with him my own initiatives in Mindanao which relates foreign policy to specific projects. I told him that I had recently met with the Bangsa Moro Youth who are in Manila on a summer camp on governance and discussed with them these initiatives.
“Ambassador Wali readily offered the support of Saudi Arabia for these initiatives, particularly those involving the youth of Mindanao,” Albert said.
She said the bilateral relations between the Philippines and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have remained robust.
“Both countries share common interests in international and multilateral organizations, and have stood on the same side of many issues in the United Nations and other international fora.
Saudi Arabia, through its membership in the Organization of the Islamic Conference Ministerial Committee of the Six, which facilitated the forging of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines-Moro National Liberation Front (GRP-MNLF) Peace Agreement, has been a supporter of the peace process and development in the Southern Philippines.
Recently, the Saudi Fund for Development pledged a $20 million loan for development projects in Mindanao,” it said in a press statement.