Kuwait summons Philippines envoy over offensive remarks, diplomatic violations

Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday summoned the Philippine’s Ambassador Renato Pedro Villa and handed him two protest notes regarding offensive statements said to have been made against the country by Filipino officials.

According to the official Kuwaiti News Agency (KUNA), a source in the ministry said that the notes also discuss activities of some employees in the Philippines embassy.

These activities were considered in violation of diplomatic norms governing relations between both countries as per the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the source added.

The source also expressed regret over such actions which may hurt the friendly relations enjoyed by Kuwait and the Philippines.

Meanwhile, a recent video has emerged on social media platforms showing a Filipino intervention team smuggling domestic workers from Kuwaiti households in vehicles carrying diplomatic license plates.

Commenting on the video, ambassador Villa said that the concerned team has been working on such operations for over a month now, rescuing several cases from all over the country.

Speaking to Turkish Anadolu Agency, Villa explained that the seven-member team’s intervention only took place with urgent cases that cannot wait for the Ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs in Kuwait to intervene.