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Marcos set to meet with nation leaders, Filipinos in Saudi Arabia

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Raphael Bosano, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. speaks at a briefing after leading the rice distribution to beneficiaries of 4 P’s at the Taguig University in Taguig City on October 4, 2023. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News." src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/tvpatrol/10/16/20231004-bbm-rice-distribution-taguig-jc-18.jpg"/><figcaption>President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. speaks at a briefing after leading the rice distribution to beneficiaries of 4 P’s at the Taguig University in Taguig City on October 4, 2023. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News.</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.&#x27;s attendance at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Gulf Cooperation Council (ASEAN-GCC) Summit in Saudi Arabia is expected to be quick but packed with meetings with nation leaders and the Filipino community.</p><p>Among the planned activities is a business roundtable with Arab businesses together with Saudi Arabia&#x27;s minister of investments, Assistant Secretary Daniel Espiritu of the Department of Foreign Affairs ASEAN office said in a palace briefing.</p><p>The president is also expected to attend bilateral meetings with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, which would focus mainly on the anniversaries of the Philippines&#x27; diplomatic relations with them.</p><p>Espiritu said part of the discussions could include the presentation of the Maharlika Fund to Saudi Arabia and its businesses, as well as labor protections of Filipinos and assistance to the development of Bangsamoro.</p><p>He added that the president will also discuss with his counterpart the unpaid salaries of Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia.</p><div><strong>MORE ACTIVE COOPERATION</strong></div><p>Having forged ties since 1990, this is the first ASEAN-GCC Summit in which the aim is to &quot;intensify cooperation between the two regional organizations.&quot;</p><p>Espiritu noted the cooperation will help ASEAN in addressing energy and food security.</p><p>&quot;Energy security because they are petrochemical powerhouses and also food security because some of the countries there especially Qatar are among the largest producers of fertilizers and they can fill up the lack or deficit of the ASEAN side,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;Since most of these hub economies are advanced in terms of operations of supply chains and ports and shipping and connectivity, they can help ASEAN with the problems in supply chain disruptions for the past several years,&quot; he added.</p><p>The summit, according to Espiritu, will &quot;set the tone for the forward movement of the cooperation between the ASEAN and GCC,&quot; saying that the cooperation has not been as active as compared to other cooperation partners.</p><p>The vision for more active cooperation will entail collaboration in the aspect of political security, economy, and socio-cultural ties. </p><p>Espiritu said political-security cooperation includes intensification of meetings between the two regions.</p><p>&quot;There will also be activities of cooperation on counter-terrorism and transnational crime. Cooperation between the GCCPOL and ASEANPOL, that is parang the Interpol of ASEAN and GCC,&quot; he said.</p><p>Ensuring security moves to counter piracy comes at an important time as the ASEAN and GCC stand astride some of the most important sea lanes for trade and communication in the world; the Arabian Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the South China Sea.</p><p>With the president spending only a little over a day in the oil-rich country, Espiritu said that Marcos would be joined by a &quot;lean group,&quot; most of whom are at the working level.</p><div><br/><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aTiA4oNXfzU?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s attendance at a summit in Saudi Arabia is expected to be quick but packed with meetings with nation leaders.

Marcos set to meet with nation leaders, Filipinos in Saudi Arabia

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Marcos set to meet with nation leaders, Filipinos in Saudi Arabia

Raphael Bosano,

ABS-CBN News

Published Oct 16, 2023 03:37 PM PHT

|

Updated Oct 24, 2023 11:34 AM PHT

Read More:

Ferdinand Marcos Jr abroad

ASEAN-GCC Summit

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

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Ferdinand Marcos Jr

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