RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, May 8 (UPI) -- Saudi Arabia's foreign policy is expanding as a succession of Asian leaders visit the energy rich state.
Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Riyadh last month. Now Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is in Saudi Arabia on a four-day state visit.
The Manila Bulletin reported on May 8 that Arroyo issued a statement saying, "I am grateful to the king for his kind invitation that honors the Filipino people. This is the time to join hands to celebrate our global alliances in the world and the need to strengthen and enrich them to preserve our gains in economic growth and political security."
Arroyo was blunt about the importance that oil exports play in Philippine-Saudi relations, observing that her objectives were to "secure our energy supplies at a time of necessity, to serve the welfare of our overseas workers, and to forge the prospects of peace in Mindanao. As a developing nation, the Philippines is hit hard by the high price of oil, and I look to our Saudi friends to help us pioneer new and innovative ways to become energy-independent."
Arroyo said that she would also discuss with Saudi officials "what we can do together with other energy-producing nations to keep the supply of oil high and the price of oil down as much as possible."
