ABU DHABI— The UAE’s Medal of Independence of the First Order from UAE President His Highness Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the highest award given to Ambassadors who served in the UAE, was conferred to Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Hjayceelyn M. Quintana by UAE Minister of State Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh on 21 December 2022 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC). The award is given in recognition of Ambassador Quintana’s efforts and contributions in promoting closer relations between the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates and in expanding bilateral cooperation to new fields of endeavor.
On behalf of the UAE Government, Minister of State Al Sayegh expressed his deep appreciation and warm congratulations to Ambassador Quintana for her wide-ranging efforts in building robust and dynamic relations between the Philippines and the UAE. The Minister lauded Ambassador Quintana’s contributions towards the Philippines’ strong presence at the World Expo Dubai, during which the Philippines signed with the UAE a commitment to enter into a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which is currently being negotiated.
“My primary goal in bringing our two countries closer is for the two sides to discover the intrinsic value of collaborating towards a shared goal, a better life for the next generation of Filipinos and Emiratis alike. I thank the leadership of the UAE for sharing this vision, shown in the support they have given and through this recognition”, said Ambassador Quintana.
During Ambassador Quintana’s four-year term, she further expanded PH-UAE relations with the signing of bilateral agreements on consular cooperation, agriculture, investment protection and promotion, space cooperation. She also started negotiations on artificial intelligence and advanced technology, oversaw bilateral meetings on combatting human trafficking and labor cooperation responsible for the resumption of Filipino household service workers’ deployment to the UAE, facilitated the opening of the Office Philippine Defense and Armed Forces Attaché in Abu Dhabi, and established closer engagement with UAE’s defense conglomerate EDGE.
Source: Republic of Philippines Department Of Foreign Affairs