(Eagle News) – President Rodrigo Duterte arrived in Amman Jordan on Wednesday, Sept. 5, to start his three-day historic visit in this Middle East country.
From Israel, President Duterte headed to Jordan becoming the first Philippine president to visit the country. He arrived at the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman at 10:17 p.m. Wednesday, Philippine time, on board a Philippine Airlines chartered flight PR001.
Philippine Ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Ambassador Akmad Sakkam and Ministry of Social Development Minister Hala Lattouf welcomed Duterte in the Jordan capital, together with the members of his delegation,
Other Jordanian government officials and members of the dignitaries were also present to welcome President Duterte on his historic visit.
From the airport, the presidential convoy headed straight to the Intercontinental Hotel in Amman where Duterte shall stay during his visit.
The President is eyeing five key points on the agenda: 1) to strengthen both nations’ bilateral relations; 2) to improve the working conditions of the Filipino Overseas Worker in Jordan; 3) to tap business potential for Filipino and Jordanian businesspeople; 4) to enhance defense cooperation, and 5) a mutual recognition of the Standard of Training and Certification of Watchkeeping (STCW) for seafarers.
Duterte’s visit reciprocates the visit of Jordan’s late King Hussein to the Philippines in 1976. This visit 42 years ago also served as the occasion for the formal establishment of diplomatic ties between Jordan and the Philippines.
Before heading for Jordan, Duterte ended his official visit to Israel by laying a wreath of flowers at the Open Doors Monument.
The monument is a testament to the “open door” policy of the Philippine Commonwealth under then President Manuel L. Quezon, who welcomed thousands of Jewish people fleeing the Holocaust in Europe in 1939. Quezon issued 10,000 visas to Jewish immigrants escaping the Nazi genocide.
(with a PND report)