Departure Statement by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for his working visit to the United Arab Emirates

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

Tonight, I will embark on a working visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to attend the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), upon the invitation of a dear friend of the Philippines, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

I will join other Heads of State and Government in the discussions and collaborative efforts to advance global sustainability. The forum will endeavor to find solutions to the challenges of the present and of the future, to which a unified approach by the community of nations is required.

The Philippines will actively participate in the dialogues to find answers to the complex and interconnected issues on energy, water, finance, food, and the environment, and expects to gain valuable insights from the views of other world leaders.

As we start the new year, the Philippines will further pursue its goal to forge collaborations with new partners who share our vision of a sustainable world, and will endeavor to further enrich our relationships with other important partners.

During this trip, the Philippines and the UAE will also seal two important agreements.

First, the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) or the free trade agreement (FTA) between the Philippines and the UAE; and second, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Defense Cooperation.

The signing of these two agreements is a testament to the deep bilateral ties between our two countries, and more importantly, between Filipinos and Emiratis.

The Philippines-UAE CEPA, our very first FTA with a country in the Middle East, will expand the market access of the Philippines in the Middle East, particularly in the Gulf Region.

Meanwhile, the MOU on Defense Cooperation will serve as a strong platform for collaboration with the UAE for advanced defense technologies.

The UAE is home to around 900,000 Filipinos, about the population of a mid-sized province in the Philippines. Thus, any mutually beneficial arrangement between our two nations will not only benefit Filipinos at home, but also Filipinos in the UAE.

I am confident that upon my return, I will bring good news on the new heights

of our friendship and collaboration with the UAE, as well as on the shared vision and strategy with our global partners on sustainability, for the benefit of the Filipino people.

Maraming salamat po.

—END—