NEW YORK—On the sidelines of the 77th United Nations General Assembly, Secretary of Foreign Affairs (SFA) Enrique A. Manalo reaffirmed the Philippines’s commitments to elevate its bilateral relations with other countries.
The SFA met with Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the United Arab Emirates’s (UAE) minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, where they discussed new and existing areas of cooperation—including labor relations, trade and investment, tourism, and agriculture.
Manalo appreciated the UAE government for its efforts to improve living and working conditions of Filipinos in the Emirati state.
Department of Migrant Workers chief Susan Ople also graced the meeting.
Continued engagements
MANALO likewise met with Malaysia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dato’ Sri Saifuddin Bin Abdullah on September 22 and discussed the state of Philippine-Malaysian relations, including the role of Asean in promoting regional security.
The two ministers were pleased to note the strong ties between their countries. The SFA welcomed Malaysia’s interest to collaborate in the digital economy, which is among the Philippine government’s priorities.
In 2021 Malaysia ranked as the Philippines’s 10th major trading partner, and 15th top investment collaborator.
The secretary also acknowledged Malaysia’s contribution to the peace process in Mindanao, then added that he anticipates its continued engagement in other aspects of the mutual relations.
The two ministers exchanged views on regional developments, as both hoped for a productive meeting during the forthcoming Asean Summits in Cambodia come November.
The foreign affairs chief also met with Foreign and Trade Minister Peter Szijjártó as they renewed commitments to further enhance Philippine-Hungarian bilateral ties.
The two ministers pledged to expand the scope of such, particularly in the areas of the economy and people-to-people exchanges, as the two countries prepare to commemorate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations in 2023.
Elevating relations
ON September 19 Manalo had a substantive discussion with South Korea’s Foreign Minister Park Jin, as both officials committed to elevate Philippine-Korean bilateral relations to a strategic partnership, banking on their deep and close ties that have spanned more than seven decades.
During the meeting the two officials exchanged views on regional and international developments. The SFA also expressed his anticipation in the signing of the 2022-2026 Framework Arrangement Concerning Loans from the Economic Development Cooperation Fund, which will pave the way for the implementation of more development-cooperation projects.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Philippines and Korea envision a strategic partnership that will include increased high-level engagements, closer maritime cooperation, heightened collaboration in addressing common security challenges, expanded cooperation in trade and investments as well as in science and technology, and even closer people-to-people exchanges through tourism, education exchanges, and labor linkages.
The DFA cited South Korea’s participation in the Philippines’s infrastructure development, including the construction of highways, railways, ports and airports, as an important aspect of their bilateral relations.