Kuwait, Manila Come Together on Regulating Foreign Labor

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, wearing a military uniform, gestures as he attends the 67th founding anniversary of the First Scout Ranger regiment in San Miguel town, Bulacan province, north of Manila, Philippines November 24, 2017. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, wearing a military uniform, gestures as he attends the 67th founding anniversary of the First Scout Ranger regiment in San Miguel town, Bulacan province, north of Manila, Philippines November 24, 2017. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco
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Kuwait, Manila Come Together on Regulating Foreign Labor

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, wearing a military uniform, gestures as he attends the 67th founding anniversary of the First Scout Ranger regiment in San Miguel town, Bulacan province, north of Manila, Philippines November 24, 2017. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, wearing a military uniform, gestures as he attends the 67th founding anniversary of the First Scout Ranger regiment in San Miguel town, Bulacan province, north of Manila, Philippines November 24, 2017. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco

Kuwait Announced on Monday arriving to an agreement with Philippine authorities on regulating foreign labor forces in the Gulf state.

The agreement comes a month later to the labor crisis which led the Philippine government to stop all workers from traveling to Kuwait.

Kuwait Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah said he had agreed with Philippine authorities to conclude an agreement regulating the conditions of Filipino employment in Kuwait, adding that this was “at the will of the Philippine authorities.”

Jarallah revealed a visit by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to Kuwait next March upon the official invitation of Kuwait Ruler Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

Jarallah told reporters at the National Assembly on Monday after a meeting of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee that he had agreed with Philippine authorities to conclude an agreement regulating the conditions of Filipino employment in Kuwait.

He added that Philippine authorities submitted a proposal for the agreement between the two countries, and was examined by relevant bodies in Kuwait.
“We are well on the way to calm matters, if we have not already reached did,” said Jarallah.

“We have made it clear to Philippine authorities that these accusations and information have no basis whatsoever, and do not reflect the nature of the situation of the Filipino employment in Kuwait, and are basically unacceptable," he said.

The Filipino community in Kuwait is estimated at 250,000, with 65 percent (165,000 workers) of which are employed in household labor.

Manila has stepped up its rhetoric after allegations of ill-treatment of Filipino workers in Kuwait.

On January 19, the Philippine Labor Minister announced the suspension of sending employment to Kuwait.

President Duterte said he was considering preventing workers from going to Kuwait because Manila had recently lost four women there, referring to domestic workers allegedly have been the victims of abused and who had committed suicide.



GCC Reaffirms Support for Kuwait on Khor Abdullah Dispute

A glimpse of the GCC Ministerial Council's extraordinary meeting via video conference on Tuesday (GCC)
A glimpse of the GCC Ministerial Council's extraordinary meeting via video conference on Tuesday (GCC)
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GCC Reaffirms Support for Kuwait on Khor Abdullah Dispute

A glimpse of the GCC Ministerial Council's extraordinary meeting via video conference on Tuesday (GCC)
A glimpse of the GCC Ministerial Council's extraordinary meeting via video conference on Tuesday (GCC)

Gulf Arab states on Tuesday voiced their full support for Kuwait’s position in a maritime border dispute with Iraq, stressing the need for positive progress in demarcation talks and for Baghdad to respect Kuwaiti sovereignty.

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi said the bloc’s 47th extraordinary ministerial meeting was held in Riyadh under the chairmanship of Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya, whose country holds the rotating presidency.

The ministers discussed developments concerning the demarcation of the maritime boundary between Kuwait and Iraq beyond border marker 162.

Albudaiwi said Kuwait's foreign minister briefed his counterparts on the latest developments with Iraq and the outcomes of recent discussions on the issue.

In a joint statement, GCC foreign ministers expressed “the full and unwavering support of member states for Kuwait’s position on the maritime boundary demarcation with Iraq.”

They also called for “positive progress in the ongoing talks and a firm commitment to all protocols agreed by the joint technical and legal committee” on the demarcation process beyond marker 162.

Albudaiwi added that the GCC ministers reaffirmed their categorical rejection of any infringement on Kuwait’s sovereignty, including over its territory, islands, highlands, and maritime zones.

GCC ministers also reiterated their firm stance on the ownership of the Durra gas field, reaffirming commitment to previous decisions made during the GCC’s 45th summit in December 2024.

The council emphasized that the entire Durra field lies within Kuwait’s maritime territory, underscoring that the natural resources in the submerged area adjacent to the divided zone shared between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia – including the Durra field – are jointly owned by the two countries.

Kuwait and Saudi Arabia hold exclusive rights to exploit these resources, in accordance with international law and existing agreements between the two nations.

The GCC’s statement further stressed its resolute rejection of any claims by other parties to rights over the Durra field or the submerged area bordering the Kuwait-Saudi divided zone.