Muscat – His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik received a written message from President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr of the Republic of the Philippines on Sunday. The message pertains to the ties of friendship and cooperation between the Sultanate of Oman and the Republic of the Philippines and explores ways to strengthen these across various spheres of mutual interest

The message was handed over to Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidi, Foreign Minister, during his meeting with Maria Theresa Lazaro, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, who is currently on an official visit to the sultanate.

The meeting reviewed the existing relations and cooperation between the two countries, as well as their shared interest in expanding prospects of partnership in economic, commercial, investment and tourism sectors. The two sides also discussed ways to advance cooperation in education, vocational and technological training, and digital transformation, in addition to fostering partnerships between relevant institutions in food security, agriculture, fisheries, energy, transport and logistics.

On the political front, the two ministers underscored the importance of maintaining regular consultations between their respective foreign ministries to monitor opportunities and programmes for cooperation, exchange views on issues of common concern, and enhance mechanisms for diplomatic communication. They also addressed a number of developments in the Middle East and ASEAN regions, noting the alignment of their countries’ political outlooks on various regional and international issues, and emphasised the value of dialogue and coordination in supporting international stability and peace.