President Benigno Simeon Aquino III exchanges views with the Emir of the State of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, during the Expanded Bilateral Meeting at the Aguinaldo State Dining Room, Malacañan Palace for his State Visit to the Republic of the Philippines Tuesday April 10, 2012. The visit is the first-ever of a Qatari Emir to the country. The Philippines and Qatar have been enjoying a vibrant and dynamic partnership for 31 years. During the meeting, the Emir and President Aquino will discuss ways to further enhance the relations between the two countries especially in the areas of labor, tourism, agriculture, trade and investments. The State of Qatar is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and is the richest country in terms of GDP per capital. Qatar is host to about 175,000 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) working in the country. (Photo by: Gil Nartea / Malacañang Photo Bureau).
President of India, A P J Abdul Kalam on Sunday visited the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology studies (Phivolcs) in Quezon City here and experienced a simulated temblor.
The simulator executed vertical and horizontal movements to give the President an experience of a major earthquake. The Philippines, prone to quakes and volcano eruptions, has 52 volcanoes of which 13 are active.
India and Philippines, yesterday signed agreements in the field of Defence cooperation, Tourism, Agriculture and related fields. Philippines and India are both the members of the East Asia Summit and share a good amount of bilateral exchanges between them.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries were formally established in 1949 after India gained its independence in 1947. The Treaty of Friendship was signed between the two countries in 1954.
