MANILA, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines will send a high-level delegation to Iran for assisting the release of 17 Filipino seafarers who were taken hostage last week by Yemen's Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, officials said Thursday.
"Today, I will be convening a meeting to facilitate the dispatch of a high-level delegation to Tehran, Iran, with the aim of providing necessary assistance to our seafarers," Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos said in a social media post.
Marcos said he has decided to skip the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to focus on the hostage release.
The 17 Filipino seafarers were among the crew members of a cargo vessel taken hostage by Yemen's Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. Yemen's Houthi rebels confirmed on Nov. 19 their hijacking of the "Israeli cargo ship".
Citing "government sources," Teresita Daza, spokesperson for the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs, said that "the hostages are in good condition and will eventually be released."
"Efforts are ongoing for this to happen as soon as possible," Daza added. ■
