PHL to bolster ties in multiple fronts with Colombia, Brazil, France, Sri Lanka
SECRETARY of Foreign Affairs (SFA) Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. received the ambassadors of the Republic of Colombia Marcela Ordoñez Fernandez and the Federative Republic of Brazil Antonio Jose Maria De Souza e Silva on February 16.
The courtesy calls were in-line with the celebration of the 75th anniversaries of the establishment of both countries’ diplomatic ties with the Philippines this year.
Locsin and Ordoñez committed to further advance bilateral cooperation in the fields of counterterrorism, transnational crime, disasterrisk reduction and management, climate change, gender and development, early childhood care, technical assistance, South-south cooperation in areas of former combatants, reintegration and youth empowerment.
Ordoñez shared plans of introducing to the Philippine market Colombian meat products and coffee; increasing the number of Filipino tourists to Colombia—especially after travel restrictions are eventually eased; and with her country as president pro tempore of the Pacific Alliance, which will bring the trade bloc closer to the Philippines and the Asean, in cooperation with her Chilean and Mexican counterparts.
Meanwhile, the SFA thanked Brazil for facilitating the delivery of six A-29B Super Tucano aircraft manufactured by the said country’s aerospace firm Embraer in October 2020, which will contribute to the modernization efforts of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. He noted the strong presence of the International Container Terminal Services, Inc. in Brazil, which has the potential to usher in more large-scale investments between the two nations.
Souza informed the secretary that all members of the Filipino community in Brazil will be inoculated with the coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine as part of the universal coverage of its health care system, the prioritization of which will be determined by age.
A day prior, newly appointed Ambassador of the French Republic to the Philippines Michèle Boccoz paid a courtesy call on Locsin, as both sides reaffirmed the close ties between their countries and committed to deepen cooperation in the areas of defense, trade and investment, infrastructure, and health.
In particular, the two agreed to explore ways of assisting each other in addressing challenges resulting from the global pandemic. Climatechange cooperation was also identified as a key area of cooperation, given its adverse impacts on the Philippines and France’s leadership role in the Climate Change Conference.
The secretary welcomed the conferment on France as Asean’s development partner, and looked forward to working further with the European country in the areas of gender justice, environmental protection, migration and cyber security, as the Philippines assumes the role of country coordinator for relations between the region and the European Union this year.
Meanwhile, Locsin and his Sri Lankan counterpart, Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, have recently agreed to focus on new strategies to further strengthen their countries’ existing economic, political, social and international relations.
The agreement was reached during a telephone conversation between the two foreign ministers, as both commemorated the 60th anniversary of the establishment of their country’s diplomatic ties.
The two sides also discussed the establishment of an embassy of the Philippines in Sri Lanka and the commencement of flights between the two countries.
Locsin has agreed to share best practices in securing employment opportunities for Filipino workers in foreign countries. Further, he has agreed to identify methods available and assist Sri Lanka in this endeavor.
During the talks, the parties have agreed to work together in the manufacturing and services sector, as well as provide greater opportunities for the mutual exchange of views between the two countries’ respective chambers of commerce and industry.
Gunawardena expressed the gratitude of Sri Lanka to the Philippines for its support through the past six decades of maintaining friendly diplomatic relations.