Palestinian Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin said they are exploring areas where they can learn from the Philippines, highlighting the country’s strengths in agriculture and healthcare, citing the large number of Filipinos working in healthcare across the Middle East and Gulf regions.
In a press briefing on Thursday, November 20, Shahin said that Palestine is seeking to identify areas where it can collaborate with the Philippines.
“And that would be an example of where we can build a relationship with the Philippines. Same with agriculture. So, we would look at what the Philippines is best at and what Palestine needs the most and try to match these two together,” she said.
On Tuesday, November 18, as part of her four-day visit to the Philippines, the foreign minister met with her counterpart, Theresa Lazaro, during which the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) expressed the Philippines’ support for the State of Palestine and its readiness to offer technical assistance.
During the briefing, Shahin reiterated the announcement that the Philippines and Palestine signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on political consultations to strengthen mutual cooperation in various sectors.
The foreign minister said she expects the MoU to lead to the establishment of multiple joint ministerial committees addressing various issues, including tourism, trade, and agriculture.
Meetings are planned between counterparts from both countries to discuss areas such as religious pilgrimage and other collaborative initiatives.
“As Palestinians, we want to strengthen our bilateral relations with every country that has recognized Palestine to see how we can move forward, how we can advocate more for the plight of the Palestinians. How, for example, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand can help us more in international platforms, how we can maybe start trade activities, religious pilgrimage, and so forth,” she added.
On Tuesday, November 18, Lazaro noted that it would not be surprising if the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) issues a statement calling for peace and stability in Gaza during the Philippines’ 2026 chairship, noting that Palestine’s two-state solution is “very important to ASEAN member countries.”
For his part, in September, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gibo Teodoro announced that the Philippines has no plans to forge a new agreement with Israel amid the continuing conflict in Gaza.
Reports said that despite a United States-brokered ceasefire, the overall death toll has risen above 69,000.
On Monday, November 17, the United Nations Security Council approved a U.S. resolution to mandate a transitional administration and an international stabilization force in Gaza.
