Marcos welcomes Oman ambassador, 6 non-resident envoys to Palace

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday afternoon received Oman’s ambassador and six non-resident envoys of Albania, Azerbaijan, Côte d’Ivoire, Iceland, Georgia, and Somalia who presented their credentials to him in Malacañang.

Nasser bin Said bin Abdullah Al Manwari, Oman’s envoy to Manila, paid a courtesy call on Marcos, who expressed his satisfaction on the strong and friendly relations between the Philippines and Oman.

The President expressed his gratitude to Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of Oman and the Omani government for helping facilitate the release and repatriation of 17 Filipino seafarers in January 2025 and nine more seafarers in December later that year, who were all held hostage by Houthi rebels.

Marcos also thanked Oman for granting royal pardons to overseas Filipino workers in Oman, which is home to almost 49,000 Filipinos.

“We recognize Oman’s support in the safe return of our seafarers and the assistance extended to our OFWs during difficult times. These partnerships make a real difference in protecting and supporting our kababayans abroad,” the President said on his social media accounts.

“We will keep building on this momentum, expanding opportunities, improving mobility, and opening more doors for Filipinos,” he added.

At the start of the Middle East conflict, Oman immediately opened its borders to Filipinos seeking repatriation as a “reliable partner” in times of crisis, the Palace said.

In response, Al Manwari reaffirmed his government’s commitment to assist the Philippines and Filipinos whenever possible. He also personally delivered a letter from the Sultan of Oman to Marcos.

He and Marcos expressed concern over the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East and voiced their hope that it will be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.

The President also commended Oman for the successful 2nd Oman–Cebu Investment Forum held in Muscat in February this year, adding that he is looking forward to the 3rd Investment Forum in Manila.

Diplomatic ties between the Philippines and Oman began on October 6, 1980, with the two countries marking the 46th year of their bilateral ties this year.

Non-resident envoys

Meanwhile, Marcos also received the credentials of six non-resident ambassadors-designate in a separate ceremony at the President’s Hall in Malacañang.

The envoys who presented their credentials were Ambassadors Ermal Muca of the Republic of Albania, Ramil Abil oglu Rzayev of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Gbolie Desire Wulfran Ipo of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Hreinn Palsson of Iceland, Tornike Nozadze of Georgia, and Ali Mohamed Abukar of the Federal Republic of Somalia.

In his remarks, Marcos wished the envoys a fruitful and productive tenure in the Philippines and said he wished to deepen relations and expand cooperation with them in mutually beneficial areas.

Muca highlighted the strong potential to expand cooperation between the Philippines and Albania across trade and investment, innovation, tourism, education, people-to-people exchanges, and sustainable development and human capital growth.

Rzayev said Azerbaijan highly values its friendly ties with the Philippines, adding that their nations will mark the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year.

He also congratulated the Philippines on its chairship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year and wished the government success in “advancing regional cooperation and prosperity.”

Ipo conveyed his warm greetings and well wishes for Filipinos’ continued prosperity and expressed confidence that the bond between the two nations will grow stronger through mutual understanding and fruitful partnership.

For his part, Palsson cited opportunities for agreements in air transport, taxation, and investment, as well as ongoing cooperation in geothermal energy between the Philippines and Iceland.

Nozadze noted the steady development of relations between the Philippines and Georgia in their 34 years of diplomatic ties and said he is committed to working closely with the government to deepen dialogue and advance cooperation in trade, education, tourism, and cultural exchange.

Lastly, Abukar expressed willingness to learn from the Philippines in the fields of good governance, disaster risk reduction, community development, and strengthen collaboration in rural livelihoods, education, and public health. — JMA, GMA News