The Philippines and Kuwait on Friday signed a bilateral agreement that would allow the conduct of joint projects in the fields of oil and gas. The agreement on cooperation in the fields of gas and oil, which also seeks to enhance training of technical personnel and foster private sector cooperative agreements, was one of the three accords signed. The others are on cooperation on health and tourism. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Prime Minister of Kuwait Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah witnessed the signing of the agreements after holding an expanded bilateral meeting in Malaca?ang Palace. The agreement on cooperation on health was signed by Health Undersecretary Mario Villaverde and Kuwait Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Khaled Sulaiman Aljarrallah. It calls for the sharing of information and expertise to improve the quality of health and health-related services in both countries. Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes and Kuwait Minister of Finance Mustafa Jassim Al-Shamali inked the accord on oil and gas cooperation. The agreement on tourism cooperation, which seeks to increase tourist exchanges and encourage tourism investment while seeking to protect the environment and preserve cultural heritage and traditions, was signed by Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo and Al-Shamali. The Kuwaiti prime minister was in Manila for the last leg of his Asian tour. Al-Houti noted that the two sides expressed the desire to open new horizons for cooperation, especially in the commercial and investment sector, noting that Kuwait had made facilitations that would no doubt be attractive to investors of the Philippines. Kuwaiti Ambassador in Manila Bader Al-Houti said representatives of the Philippine government expressed readiness to remove all obstacles that stood in the way of raising trade and investment, and highly commended this historic visit by the Kuwaiti premier as a means to push bilateral relations.
