Philippine expresses its support for Egypt's UN Security Council membership bid, said Ambassador Jesus I. Yabes, Undersecretary of Philippine's Foreign Ministry. The statements came during the meeting of the Filipino official with Egypt's Assistant Foreign Ministry Yasser Mourad on Tuesday on the sideline of the Egyptian-Filipino political consultations conducted in Egypt's Foreign Ministry. The Filipino diplomat stressed his country's support for Egypt's anti-terrorism efforts. The two diplomats discussed bilateral relations and ways of cooperation in various fields, including economic, trade, cultural, tourism, agricultural, health and information technology fields. Also, the two sides discussed the latest developments in the Middle East in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen and the Palestinian issue. The Filipino diplomat appreciated President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi's call for improving the religious discourse, describing it as the way to counter false knowledge and beliefs attributed to Islam. Both sides agreed on the importance of coordinating between one another regarding regional and international security issues. Furthermore, Yabes revealed his government's backing to Egypt's efforts to obtain a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council for the period of 2016-2017 and to reform the council.
