Increased PH-Russia trade seen
Senate President Franklin M. Drilon said yesterday he looks forward to more trade and investments between the Philippines and Russia as both countries are set to mark 40 years of formal diplomatic relations in 2016.
Drilon recently met and held talks with Nikolay V. Levichev, the acting chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of Russia, where both officials highlighted crucial areas for cooperation between the Philippines and Russia.
The State Duma is the Lower House of the Federal Assembly of Russia. Its members are referred to as Deputies.
ASEAN opportunities In a press statement sent from Moscow, Drilon said it was in this context that he congratulated Naryshkin for establishing in 2013 the Russian Duma’s parliamentary group responsible for developing ties with the legislative branch of the Philippines and other Association of Southeast Association Nations (ASEAN) countries.
During that meeting, Drilon expressed the hope that cooperation between the ASEAN and Russia would expand.
“Bilateral trade has been growing consistently in the past years, although the present level of trade turnover does not yet reflect the full potential of our economic relations. The good news is that we now notice an even stronger interest from our respective business communities to engage each other,” he said.
Drilon said the new Air Services Agreement would lead to higher tourism traffic.
Russian presence Citing the strong macro-economic fundamentals that is making the Philippines a very attractive investment destination, Drilon said that “now is the perfect time for Russian businesses to bolster their presence in the Philippines.’’
“Philippine companies are raring to expand their reach to include nontraditional markets such as Russia. This move to gain a foothold in the Russian market is well-timed in view of the ongoing Eurasian economic integration process – with Russia as the main motor,” he added.
APEC Summit
With a view to greater economic ties, he said the Philippines “is looking forward to the upcoming meeting between President Aquino and President Vladimir Putin at the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Manila next month.
Exploring other fields Drilon also said that the Philippines is also interested in signing a number of pending agreements from consular protection, to humanitarian cooperation, to trade and investment enhancement, to fighting transnational crimes, including terrorism, to defense and security cooperation, among others.
“On top of these, we are keen on intensifying people-to-people exchanges in the fields of education, culture and the arts, and tourism, among others and between our youth. We need to strengthen our linkages at the people-to-people level if we are to succeed in building a strong, dynamic, and multi-faceted relationship responsive to the needs of the 21st century,” Drilon told the chairman of the State Duma.
Drilon is in Russia on the invitation of Mme. Valentina I. Matvienko, Chairperson of the Federal Council, Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.
While in Russia, Drilon met several top Russian officials, signed a parliamentary cooperation agreement and addressed the Plenary Session of the Federal Council.