The Philippines and the State of Qatar have agreed to deepen their 43-year relationship with the signing of nine collaboration agreements that aim to boost trade and investment flows and address global challenges such as climate change and human trafficking.

President Marcos and Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani witnessed the ceremonial exchange of documents following their bilateral meeting in Malacañan on Monday morning, April 22.

The nine deals exchanged during the Emir's state visit to the Philippines were:

1. Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the State of Qatar on the waiver of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic and special or official passports
2. Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the State of Qatar on cooperation in the field of sports
3. Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the State of Qatar on cooperation in the field of youth
4. Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the State of Qatar on cooperation in combating human trafficking
5. Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the State of Qatar on technical cooperation and capacity-building on climate change
6. Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the State of Qatar in the field of tourism and business events
7. Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the State of Qatar on mutual recognition of seafarers' certificates
8. Memorandum of Understanding between the Philippines Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry
9. Memorandum of Understanding between the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry
    

During their bilateral meeting, President Marcos expressed confidence that his discussions with the Qatari official would translate to stronger collaboration in fields of common interest.

"I look forward to a fruitful and productive meeting with you today, with the hope that our discussion will open opportunities to improve and strengthen our bilateral relations at every level— at the commercial level, at the government-to-government level, at the people-to-people level," he said.

"This is our aspiration and I think that if we come to— if we are agreed that this is the way to go, there is much potential that we can take advantage of," he added.

For his part, Emir Tamim, who is in the Philippines for the first time, said the agreements and MOUs signed and exchanged during his visit will further enhance both countries' relations to a desired level.

"We aspire to improve these relations to increase communication between the two countries," he said.

"I just had a fruitful discussion with His Excellency, the President... on common interests that will contribute to developing our relations in different fields," he added.

According to Tamim, the Philippines is an important partner for Qatar in many fields, particularly in trade and economic cooperation.

"We aspire to improve these relations to increase communication between the private sector and both the countries," he said.

Meanwhile, the Qatari leader praised the Filipino community in his country for their role in Qatar's development.

"It is my pleasure to take this opportunity to praise the Filipino community residing in the State of Qatar and their effective contribution to the development progress in our country," he said.

Tamim likewise thanked Marcos for the generous hospitality he received for his historic state visit to the Philippines. He also wished for the Philippines' "continued progress and prosperity."

According to Malacañang, Tamim's visit, which marks the first state visit of Qatar's Emir to the Philippines in over a decade, serves as a testament to the flourishing bilateral relations.