Ambassador Shamieh continues his meetings with Philippine officials and meets with the Minister of State for Political Affairs and Deputy Foreign Minister for Expatriate Affairs Manel
Ambassador Dr. Mazen Shamieh, assistant to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and expatriates for Asia, Africa and Australia, continues his meetings with senior state officials, where he met with Mr. Enrique Catalunya, Minister of State for Political affairs, and in the presence of a number of his assistants, who was briefed by Ambassador Shamieh on the Political developments in Palestine and the Middle East, he also briefed him on his meetings with the Philippine Foreign Secretary, Mr. Teodoro Lopez Locsin, Jr., and the ways to apply and put in place mechanisms to advance the promotion and development of the Philippine-Palestinian bilateral relations.
The Minister of State for Political Affairs praised the meeting with the Foreign Minister and expressed his willingness to provide the necessary support to ensure that what was needed to bring about the success of the common perceptions of the two sides was implemented, and stressed the position of Manila in support of the Palestinian cause.
Ambassador Shamieh also met with the Philippine Deputy Foreign Minister for Expatriate Affairs, Ms. Sarah Lou Arriola, where the two sides discussed the Philippine experience in pursuing community affairs
Ambassador Shamieh raised the importance of coordination and cooperation under the new tasks assigned to the Ministry and the addition of expatriate affairs to it.
For her part, Ms. Arriola confirmed her willingness to cooperate with the Palestinian side in caring for the interests of the communities, integrating them into the political system and participating in the elections.
Ambassador Shamieh also met with Ms. Celeste V. Balatbat, executive director of the Philippine Diplomatic Institute, the two sides discussed ways of co-operation, and the Palestinian delegation was briefed on the possibilities and programs of the Philippine diplomatic training.
The two sides also agreed on cooperation and the signing of a memorandum of understanding in this framework, ensuring the training of Palestinian and Filipino staff on both sides, as well as the exchange of academic staff, and hosted by both parties.
The meeting was attended by Ambassador Walid Abu Ali, Ambassador of Palestine to Malaysia, and Ms. Youad Jaradat, Third Secretary of the Asia Administration.