PH, Chile Hold 5th Political Consultations

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary and Head of Philippine Delegation Enrique A. Manalo shake hands with Chilean Secretary General of Foreign Policy following the 5th Philippine-Chile Political Consultations. (DFA-OUP photo)

SANTIAGO 15 May 2019 — The Philippines and Chile manifested their commitment to advance bilateral relations as the two countries held their 5th Political Consultations on 08 May 2019 at the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Santiago.

The Philippine and Chilean delegations were headed by Foreign Affairs  Undersecretary for Policy Enrique A. Manalo and Secretary General of Foreign Policy  Ambassador Patricio Torres, respectively. 

They were joined by Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for American Affairs  Maria Lumen B. Isleta,  Ambassador-designate to Chile Ma. Teresita C. Daza, and high ranking offiials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Agriculture, as well as high ranking officials the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Chilean General Directorate of International Economic Affairs (DIRECON) and other local officials. 

During the meeting, Undersecretary Manalo emphasized that the “the conduct of the consultation is a manifestation of the Philippines’ and Chile’s mutual commitment to advance and accelerate the pace of their engagement and collaboration in areas of mutual interest.”

The 5th Political Consultations served as an opportunity for the Philippines and Chile to significantly improve the momentum of their relations and identify opportunities for concrete action and cooperation. 

In this regard, the two sides outlined 20 Action Points to advance bilateral relations in the areas of security, disaster risk reduction and management, trade and investment, finance, agriculture, tourism, culture, air services, cooperation between diplomatic academies, and other technical cooperation initiatives.

The Philippines and Chile agreed to pursue negotiations on pending agreements on establishing a joint economic commission, tourism, standards of training for officials of merchant ships, as well as update existing agreements on culture and agriculture.

The two sides also exchanged views on developments in each other’s region, as well as regional and multilateral developments in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC), Pacific Alliance, and the United Nations (UN).

Prior to the main Political Consultations, Undersecretary Manalo also had a pre-plenary meeting with Ambassador Torres, where they discussed climate change, peace and order, human rights, non-traditional security cooperation—including a possible agreement on combating illegal drugs and narcotics—and maritime and territorial issues. END

Members of the Philippine and Chilean delegations pose for a photo after the working lunch at Club Union. (DFA-OUP photo)

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Enrique A. Manalo proposes action points to move Philippine-Chile relations forward. (DFA-OUP photo)