President Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr. expressed his intention to expand the country’s relationship with Saudi Arabia.

Marcos's intent came after he received Saudi Arabia's Ambassador Hisham Sultan Abdullah Alqahtani, who made a farewell call last Thursday.

In a meeting with the Arabian official, the President cited Alqahtani’s “very productive time” in maintaining the strong ties between the Philippines and Saudi Arabia.

“Our relation with your country is as strong as it’s ever been, and I think we will continue. We keep going, and we have begun many things as well just during my time here as President,” Marcos told Alqahtani.

“So we would like to continue and make it even deeper and more involved together with the kingdom, and hopefully, we can expand on all of the things that we’re already doing. This has all happened under your watch,” he added.

Marcos also mentioned his previous discussions with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, which were bounded by a “very good partnership created between the two countries.”

He also noted Saudi Arabia’s position in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), saying it “helped push peace efforts in Mindanao.”

“We are now getting closer and closer to actually having an autonomous region with elective parliament members. And (we’re) working very hard to make sure that it will be a successful effort,” Marcos said.

“It’s so important now that we do that. But again, not just the OIC, but also Saudi Arabia has been so supportive of everything that we have been trying to do,” he added.

Marcos recognized the Saudi envoy’s success during his three and a half years in office in making “the relations between the Philippines and Saudi Arabia even stronger.”

In response, Alqahtani stressed, “Filipinos became an important part of Saudi Arabia’s development, especially in the last 40 years until now.”

“We will not forget them. The development there in Saudi Arabia came with the Philippines also. It’s a common relation, common interest together with the Philippines. And we want to thank you, His Excellency, the government, and the DFA for the full support in our work, especially in support of the international organization,” he said.

As Saudi Arabia prepares to host the World Cup in 2030, Alqahtani said they will need skilled Filipino workers, particularly during the building of mega projects in Jeddah and the north of Saudi Arabia, such as the Red Sea and rail and line projects.

Marcos told Alqahtani the Philippines could send workers “as long as it has the available workforce.”

The government’s recent data shows nearly a million Filipinos currently staying or working in Saudi Arabia.