THE foreign service academies of the Philippines and Bangladesh have agreed to establish an exchange of diplomatic training programs and publications.
Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo and Ambassador F.M. Borhan Uddin signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) and Bangladesh’s Foreign Service Academy on March 6.
Manalo, who also chairs the FSI’s board, turned over a book compilation of the institute’s latest publication, which marked the memorandum’s initial implementation. It will provide the framework for cooperation between the two diplomatic institutions.
Assistant Secretary Francisco Noel R. Fernandez III who is the FSI’s director-general said the South Asian country has similar arrangements with 31 others: “We’re hoping that, with the [training sessions exchange among our young diplomats, the friendship and camaraderie that they will gain will be beneficial when they eventually] become ambassadors.”
For his part, Uddin lauded the MOU signing, as Manila and Dhaka are marking the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations’ establishment.
He said Bangladesh is negotiating with the Philippines on MOUs for service sector cooperation and amendments to the visa-requirement waiver, among others.
FSI is the research and training office of DFA. Established in 1976, it regularly interacts with diplomatic academies of other countries in order to learn and share best practices in diplomatic learning and research.