Featured image above shows Palestine Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin (left) being introduced by Palestinian Amb. Mounir Y.K. Anastas during her press conference in Makati City on Thursday, November 20. (Photo: SDN) 

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RAFFLES HOTEL, November 20, 2025 (SDN) — “We should have been here a long time ago.”

Visiting Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Dr. Varsen Aghabekian Shahin made this statement today during a press here today, Thursday, as she detailed her engagements with government officials, some leaders of the Catholic Church, and students in some educational institutions.

She is here in the country for her visit on November 16 to 21, and she’ll be proceeding to Thailand and Vietnam, bringing with her a number of significant highs, as she continues her tour on a high note in Southeast Asia.

“As I said, this is a first visit that is long overdue. We should have been here a long time ago, and today, we want to strengthen our bilateral relations with every country that has recognized Palestine to see how we can move forward, how we can advocate more for the plight of the Palestinians, how we can advocate more for the plight of the Palestinians, how for example, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand, can help as more in international platforms, how we can, maybe, start trade activities, religious pilgrimage, and so forth,” the official of the Palestinian Authority (PA) emphasizes.

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“What is a Cradle of Christianity if there are no Christians?”

Shahin is Palestinian Christian like Hanan Asrawi, the then spokesperson of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

For those who maybe hiding under a rock for the longest time, Palestine is not exclusively Muslim, there are other religious communities, including Christians — Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Armenian Orthodox, as well as other Protestant groups.

Christian population — 50,000 approximately, or much lesser since the over two years old genocide by Israel — live in the West Bank of the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) in Ramallah, Bethlehem, and East Bank.

In fact, the ancient Church of Holy Sepulchre is in Jerusalem, and considered the Cradle of Christianity. Shahin said Israel bombed the church two times.

“What is a Cradle of Christianity if there are no Christians?” Dr. Shahin, an academic, asked rhetorically when someone at the press conference mentioned Palestinian Christians.

Palestinian refugees, she pointed out, numbered 750,000 in 1948, but now Palestinians outside the Occupied Palestinian Territories have reached eight million.

In the visit to the country, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro conducted a bilateral meeting with Shahin, as the Filipino official forged strong ties with Palestine in Shahin’s visit.

The DFA described the visit as “historically significant and is a milestone in the two countries’ diplomatic relations, as this is the first-ever visit of a Palestinian Foreign Minister to the Philippines after the formal establishment of the bilateral relations between the two countries on 4 September 1989.”

Shahin said at the press briefing that she signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Political Consultations with her counterpart that put in place a structured bilateral mechanism of consultations between the Philippines and Palestine to provide “a platform for officials of both parties to review their bilateral relations, identity new areas of life cooperation, and promote common interests.”

The Palestinian official sees the mushrooming of joint ministerial committees that will be working on various issues owing to the agreement.

One example she mentioned is related to a potential meeting in the future between the tourism minister of her country and the Philippine tourism secretary to discuss issues related to religious pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Also potential sectors that officials of the two friendly countries may include trade, agriculture, and other areas of mutual concerns.

In her opening statement at the media event, she cited her visit.

“Today, I would be concluding my four-day visit to the Philippines, and this has been a very eventful and very productive meeting,” Shahin says, adding her visit marks the first meeting of a Palestinian government official in the Philippines, since the Philippines recognized the State of Palestine in 1989.

Her itinerary in the country included a meeting with top leaders of the Catholic Church to impress upon them that Palestine has many Christians, which she said are indigenous to the country.

She pointed out the meetings with the Catholic leaders are important to speak on the steadfastness of Palestinian Christians…and they to make sure that the Christian presence is maintained, and strengthened and what role the Church has in that regard.

Also in her itinerary included several dialogues with student, researchers, and diplomats. She also made presentations at the DFA, and two universities, including Ateneo de Manila University.

She participated in the observance on Tuesday, November 18, of the Palestine National Day and the International Day for the Solidarity with the Palestinian People at Fairmont Hotel in the city, and important event to show Palestinian cuisine, Palestinian art, and others.

“I also met with several Arab foreign diplomats. In all the encounters, the focus was on the plight of the Palestinians,” Shahin underscores.

The top Palestinian official had an already scheduled meeting with President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. It did not happen. — EDD K. USMAN (©)

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The author

EDD, a native of Sub-Saharan Africa Buluan/Datu Piang, Maguindanao del Sur, BARMM, college at UST, is a Manila-based journalist for over 40 years (33 years with Manila Bulletin), has five Media Awards (1 with University of the Philippines (UP) 2017 Science Journalism Award), covered and traveled over 40 times abroad), has contributed to Rappler, Business Mirror, Manila Business Insights, Panorama Magazine, Agriculture Magazine, and others, former Manila-based Foreign Correspondent of Saudi Arabia newspapers Saudi Gazette and Riyadh Daily, and The Peninsula (Qatar newspaper), with 2008 East-West Center (EWC) Journalism Seminar in the United States, 2000 Executive IT Seminar in Seoul, South Korea, with three Silver Awards in Photography, writes Muslim and Current Affairs, Enterprise, Science, Tech, Products Launch, and virtually everything under Heaven. (©)