Marcos to visit UAE on Jan. 12

PHILIPPINE President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. will travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Jan. 12 for a working visit centered on sustainability talks and signing of key bilateral agreements, Malacañang said on Thursday.

Mr. Marcos is set to attend the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week at the invitation of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, joining other heads of state and government to discuss global challenges on energy, water, finance, food security, and the environment.

Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro said the visit will only be for a day.

On the sidelines of the forum, the Philippine President is expected to witness the signing of two major agreements between Manila and Abu Dhabi: a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and a memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation.

The CEPA will be the Philippines’ first free trade agreement with a Middle Eastern country, aimed at expanding market access for Philippine goods and services in the region.

The defense cooperation memorandum, meanwhile, is intended to provide a framework for collaboration with the UAE in developing defense capabilities and technologies.

“President Marcos, Jr. firmly believes that his upcoming visit to Abu Dhabi will be meaningful and beneficial for the Filipino people,” Ms. Castro told a Palace briefing in Filipino. Mr. Marcos was last in the UAE in November 2024.

The Philippines and the UAE formally established diplomatic ties on Aug. 19, 1974.

The UAE is the Philippines’ top trading partner within the Gulf Cooperation Council. In 2022, bilateral non-oil trade hit $1.85 billion, ranking the UAE as Manila’s 17th largest trading partner globally, according to the UAE Foreign ministry.

UAE officials said their investments in the Philippines are projected to double following two key agreements: the Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement, which took effect in February 2024, and the forthcoming CEPA.

Meanwhile, Executive Secretary Ralph G. Recto said Mr. Marcos won’t attend the World Economic Forum on Jan. 19-23 in Davos, Switzerland as he focuses on “lots of work domestically.”

The country will be represented by the Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland Bernard Faustino M. Dy and Philippine Ambassador to the World Trade Organization in Geneva Manuel Antonio J. Teehankee. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana