Duterte thanks Gulf Cooperation Council nations for aid to PH’s COVID response

President Rodrigo Duterte during his UN address 2021 on Sept. 21. FILE photo

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte expressed gratitude to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) governments for their assistance to the Philippines’ COVID-19 pandemic response.

In a statement on Thursday, the Office of the President said that Duterte reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to further strengthen bilateral affairs with GCC nations particularly the Sultanate of Oman, State of Qatar, State of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Duterte thanked the said foreign governments “for their assistance to the Philippines’ pandemic response efforts and in the repatriation of Filipino nationals affected by the COVID-19 crisis.”

As the GCC countries implement their respective reform initiatives, the president said that the Philippines is looking forward to working closely with them.

“I hope that these reforms succeed and evolve to encompass the more vulnerable sectors in the GCC labor market, particularly household service workers,” the president was quoted as saying during the joint courtesy call of the ambassadors on Wednesday.

“The Philippines is keenly interested in working with our GCC partners to realize our shared aspiration for a better future for all our peoples,” Duterte added, noting the successful strategic framework implementation of the GCC nations.

Meanwhile, the ambassadors thanked Duterte “for the opportunity to meet and discuss with the President bilateral issues of mutual interest, including pandemic cooperation, labor reform, migration and development, regional peace and security, climate change, and energy.”

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