Qatar sends its solidarity with the Philippines, especially to the victims of Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai). The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani sent the message through Twitter, and the tweet was written in Filipino.
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Typhoon Odette hit the southern part of the Philippines a few days before Christmas. There were devastations in several towns in Palawan, Visayas, and Mindanao. The body count is more than two hundred, with the number of victims expected to increase in the coming days. The storm also destroyed houses and livelihoods.
Solidarity with the Philippines
HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs sent a message of condolence to the victims of Typhoon Odette (International name: Rai) through Twitter. The two-part are as follows:
“Taos pusong pakikiramay sa bansang Pilipinas sa lahat ng biktima ng Bagyong Odette, at sa bawat Pamayanang Pilipino dito sa #Qatar, na naging bahagi at nag-ambag ng pag-unlad ng bansa.”
“Naniniwala kami sa kakayahan ng mga Pilipino sa mabilisang pagbangon mula sa kalamidad. Dalangin at hangad namin ang mabilisang paggaling at pag-ahon ng lahat ng biktima at nasalanta.”
The tweet from His Excellency expresses sympathy with the victim of Typhoon Odette and the Filipinos currently in Qatar. The Sheikh also acknowledges the contribution of the Filipinos in the development of the Gulf State.
The Qataris have faith in the Filipinos’ ability to overcome the disaster and that the victims will recover.
President Rodrigo Duterte, of the Philippines, expressed gratitude to the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Duterte is also thankful for the compassionate treatment that the Filipinos receive from the Qatari government, as reported on the Philippine News Agency website.
Back in 2020, the Qatar government sent aid to the victims of Typhoon Ulysses (international name: Vamco) through the Qatar Red Crescent Society.
Bilateral Cooperation Between Qatar and the Philippines
In a separate tweet, His Excellency also announced the telephone conversation with his Filipino counterpart, Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. The exchange between the foreign affairs ministers aimed to strengthen the bilateral cooperation of their countries.
The message is as follows:
“HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani held today a telephone conversation with HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines Teodoro Locsin.
The call dealt with reviewing bilateral cooperation.
HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed during the call his condolences on the victims of Typhoon Rai that hit the country recently, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
His Excellency expressed the State of Qatar’s solidarity and its readiness to provide humanitarian aid to the people of the Philippines. He also expressed his full confidence in the ability of the government and people of the Philippines to overcome the impacts of the Typhoon, reiterating the State of Qatar’s support and willingness to help in that regard.”
The bilateral relations between the two countries span four decades. The Qatari government also introduced reforms that uphold migrant workers’ rights.
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