Philippine ambassador Wilfredo Santos receives a token of appreciation when he called on SFS-Q dean Dr Gerd Nonneman recently.

By Peter Alagos/Business Reporter

The Philippine embassy in Doha is planning to forge collaborations with higher learning institutions in Qatar to explore co-operation opportunities in Foreign Service, ambassador Wilfredo Santos said.
In a recent courtesy call on Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Q), Santos proposed to collaborate with the SFS-Q, the Centre for International and Regional Studies (CIRS), and Foreign Service Institute (FSI) in terms of exchange of research, information, and visits, as well as joint organisation of lectures, seminars, and courses “across available platforms.”
Santos, who was welcomed by SFS-Q dean Dr Gerd Nonneman, Professor Mehran Kamrava, and CIRS associate director for Research Zahra Babar, also discussed student-to-student exchanges between SFS-Q and their Filipino counterparts through the Diplomatic League, an initiative of the Department of Foreign Affairs-United Nations and other International Organisations office (DFA-UNIO).
“The courtesy call was primarily geared at exploring various avenues of co-operation between the Philippines and SFS-Q as it could serve as an opportune venue for the Philippine embassy to articulate Philippine foreign policy, as well as that of the Asean, to diversify the academic discourse on Foreign Service for Georgetown SFS-Q students.
“We also recognise SFS-Q’s expertise on the Middle East and the Arab region, something which the Department of Foreign Affairs could emulate,” Santos highlighted during the meeting.
The visit to SFS-Q was among the series of courtesy calls by Santos since he presented his credentials to HH the Deputy Emir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Thani at the Emiri Diwan last month.
Last week, Santos called on HE the Minister of Municipality and Urban Planning (MMUP) Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani and discussed the accreditation process of engineering professionals in Qatar.
Santos informed the minister that the Philippine government has granted approval for the offering of a one-year master’s degree programme for engineering disciplines by two universities identified as centres of excellence in the technical field.
He also told Sheikh Abdulrahman he was hoping that the visit of the Qatari delegation comprising officials from the Urban Planning and Development Authority and the Equivalency Committee of the Supreme Education Council will push through in October.
“This visit will foster a better understanding of the Philippine education system and the Philippine regulatory mechanisms for the licensing of professionals in the Philippines,” Santos said.
According to Santos, the minister expressed his support and assistance for the plan to send a Qatari delegation to the Philippines to discuss the issue of the accreditation of Philippine colleges and universities in Qatar.
The ambassador also expressed his intention to build stronger bilateral ties and closer co-operation between the Philippines and Qatar “on issues of mutual interest,” specifically the possibility of entering into a co-operation agreement between Qatar’s Urban Planning and Development Authority and the Philippine Regulation Commission with the aim of sharing regulatory experiences and best practices.
Santos also thanked the minister for Qatar’s hospitality “in hosting an estimated 190,000 Filipinos, many of whom are employed in various infrastructure projects under the MMUP.”
He also thanked Sheikh Abdulrahman for his part in facilitating the approval of the construction of the new building for the Philippine School Doha, whose construction has started with a target completion of late 2017.