THE Ambassadors of the European Union (EU), France, United Kingdom and Singapore yesterday paid a courtesy call on President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. where they personally conveyed their message of congratulations on his victory.

EU Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Luc Véron conveyed the EU congratulatory wishes in advance of the letters of the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission. The EU High Representative Josep Borrell had previously congratulated the Philippines and its President-Elect on 12 May.

The Ambassador conveyed the wish of all EU Member States ambassadors to meet President-elect Marcos at the earliest opportunity.

Véron welcomed the importance the President-elect attached to the enhanced partnership between the Philippines and the European Union and its member states.

During the meeting, the EU Ambassador presented the scope of the bilateral relationship ranging from trade and investments (supported by the EU’s GSP +) to the extensive cooperation on a variety of areas (justice system, socio-economic development, sustainable energy, governance and normalisation in Mindanao or COVID-19 Vaccination). He recalled the importance of accountability and rule of law and the respect for human rights in the overall context of the bilateral relation. Both sides agreed that addressing climate change and the green economic recovery from the pandemic must be at the forefront of the bilateral agenda. The EU side conveyed its readiness to stay engaged, at the government’s wishes, to further consolidate the peace process in the Bangsamoro Region.

The EU Ambassador concurred with President-elect Marcos on the need to respect international law in the South China Sea, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and its dispute settlement mechanisms. Furthermore, Ambassador Véron highlighted the importance of multilateral institutions and respecting the UN charter and the shared interest of the Philippines and the EU to continue defending peace and a rules-based multilateral order in Europe (including Ukraine), Asia and the world.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to meet President-elect Marcos ahead of his inauguration. We had an excellent conversation about the state of the world and his ambitions for the Philippines in the coming years. I am also heartened to hear that the incoming President is willing to work with the EU and its Member States. I do not doubt that the EU-Philippines cooperation based on shared values and objectives will deepen under the Marcos administration.” Véron said.

The Ambassador highlighted the importance that the EU attaches to its Strategic Partnership with ASEAN and he recalled that President Marcos would be invited to attend the 45th anniversary of EU-ASEAN relations commemorative summit (Brussels, 14 December 2022).

French Ambassador to Manila Michele Boccoz discussed with Marcos matters of mutual interest and explored the deepening of cooperation in several areas, particularly as France and the Philippines are celebrating this year the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

UK Ambassador to the Philippines Laure Beaufils talked about the good relationship between the Kingdom and the Philippines.

“So, I am delighted that I just came out of the meeting with the President-elect which was really useful, very informative, and very warm. I was able to set out that the UK already has a strong bilateral relationship with the Philippines and a strong friendship between our two countries and between our peoples and that we intend to take that from strength to strength over the course of the president-elect’s administration,” Beaufils said.

Singaporean Ambassador to Manila Gerard Ho also made an introductory call on Marcos.

They spoke about the longstanding and close relations between Singapore and the Philippines.

“We stand ready to work with the incoming administration to further deepen our bilateral ties,” Ho said.

The President-elect for his part said they discussed to further boost future partnerships and investments between the Philippines and Singapore.

“Today I had the pleasant honor to receive Ambassador Gerard Ho, and discuss the future partnerships and investments between the Philippines and Singapore,” Marcos said.

He added “the strong ties between our two nations are anchored not only on trade and our long-standing economic relationship but on the genuine friendship between our people. We look forward to further strengthening these foundations in the coming years.”

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Cristina Lee-Pisco