Outgoing Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano in the past week underscored the need for the Philippines and Europe to deepen their engagement if they are to be able to understand each other.
“The European Union [EU] and its member-states are very important partners of the Philippines, and we look forward to actively and constructively engaging them so we can better understand each other,” Cayetano said a day after he had a lunch meeting with ambassadors from the European Union and its member-states.
“We were able to convey to each other our mutual desire to continue exchanging views on important issues,” Cayetano said.
He also cited the importance of people-to-people exchanges, noting that education and tourism help promote understanding and improve relations between the Philippines and the EU.
The envoys, for their part, noted that increasing dialogue between the Philippines and the EU will help attract more investors to Philippines. They also expressed their hopes to see more high-level visits to Europe by Filipino officials.
Also present during the meeting were Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno and Bases Conversion Development Authority President and Chief Executive Officer Vivencio B. Dizon, who told the diplomats that now is best time to invest in the Philippines. The latter also encouraged the EU to participate in the “Build, Build, Build” program of the Duterte administration.
Ambassadors to the Philippines who attended the luncheon included the Czech Republic’s Jaroslav Olša Jr., Denmark’s Jan Top Christensen, Greece’s Nicolaos Kaimenakis, Delegation of the European Union’s Franz Jessen, Hungary’s József Bencze, Germany’s Dr. Gordon Kricke, Belgium’s Michel Philippe Goffin, Italy’s Giorgio Guglielmino, France’s Nicolas Galey, Romania’s Chargé d’affaires Mihai Sion, as well as DEUP Councilor and Deputy Head of Mission Thomas Wiersing.
Image credits: DFA Photo