The Philippine embassy in Doha is hoping that the inaugural convening of the Joint Ministerial Commission for Bilateral Co-operation (JMCBC) will “finally happen” under the new administration of incoming president, Rodrigo Duterte, ambassador Wilfredo Santos has said.
The JMCBC provides a regular mechanism for the Philippines and Qatar to review the status of its bilateral relations, explore possible areas of co-operation, and exchange updates and viewpoints on regional and international issues affecting both countries, said Santos.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) establishing the JMCBC was signed in Doha on March 10, 1997 by then Philippine foreign affairs secretary Domingo L Siazon and his then Qatari counterpart, HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmad bin Abdullah al-Mahmoud.
Santos noted that the JMCBC “has yet to convene despite the MoU,” which was signed 19 years ago.
“We have consistently brought this up during my calls on Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mofa) officials, as well as with my colleagues at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in the Philippines.
“As we are about to start the incoming Duterte administration, which will find the DFA under the new stewardship of incoming foreign affairs secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr, we hope that this long overdue inaugural convening of the Joint Ministerial Commission on Bilateral Co-operation will finally happen,” Santos said.
Earlier, the ambassador also said the JMCBC meeting “will hopefully pave the way for the signing of several pending bilateral agreements between Qatar and the Philippines in various fields, including health, culture, investments, and visa waiver for diplomatic passport holders and government officials.”
During a recent courtesy call on HE the Assistant Foreign Minister for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi by the Asean Committee in Doha (ACD), Santos reiterated his call for the inaugural convening of the JMCBC and invited al-Muraikhi to visit the Philippines.
Asked when al-Muraikhi would visit the Philippines, Santos said: “This will have to be discussed first with the DFA before a date can be proposed to the Qatari side. Such a visit could perhaps coincide with the inaugural convening of the Joint Ministerial Commission on Bilateral Co-operation, with assistant foreign minister al-Muraikhi possibly leading the Qatari delegation.”
Santos said al-Muraikhi acknowledged “the important role that the Filipino community plays in Qatar, and looked forward to more avenues of co-operation with the Philippines, whether bilaterally or through the ACD.”
“The Joint Ministerial Commission for Bilateral Co-operation is one avenue of co-operation from a bilateral perspective. But then again, this does not stop us from exploring other bilateral means through regular exchanges between Philippine and Qatari government agencies.”
Santos added: “As for the ACD track, the Philippines, as one of the founding members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean), actively promotes Asean awareness in Qatar and furthering relations between the two.
“Just recently, I was designated as chairperson of the ACD from August 2016 to August 2017. My chairmanship coincides with the Philippines’ chairmanship of the Asean Summit in 2017, as well as the 50th anniversary of the Asean. This symbolic timing provides me an opportunity to maximise my term as chairperson in achieving concrete gains from ACD’s mandate.”