Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
October 19, 2023

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. commenced his participation to the inaugural Association of Southeast Asian Nations – Gulf Cooperation Council (ASEAN-GCC) Summit when he arrived at the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the ASEAN-GCC Summit seeks to endorse the framework of cooperation between the ASEAN and GCC geared towards enhancing various areas of mutual concerns such as energy security, food stability and economic cooperation, among others.

The Summit is the first ever meeting of leaders from the Southeast Asian region with the Gulf nations, which comprises of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), aiming to further strengthen relations between the two regional blocs.

On the sidelines of the Summit, the President is set to convene and forge partnerships with the Ministry of Investments and the business community in Saudi Arabia in a roundtable meeting anchored in advancing investment opportunities between the two nations.

President Marcos Jr. is also expected to hold a bilateral meeting with his counterparts from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to reaffirm the country’s diplomatic ties with the two Arab nations, as well as to discuss regional and international issues that include the protection of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Middle East and the development assistance to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

He is likewise set to meet with thousands of Filipinos living and working in Saudi Arabia to wrap up his participation to the ASEAN-GCC Summit.

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