Secretary Locsin, Myanmar Union Minister Kyaw Tin Convene Successful PH-Myanmar Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. (left) and Myanmar Union Minister for International Cooperation U Kyaw Tin pose for a photo at the sidelines of the 3rd Meeting of the Philippines-Myanmar Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar today. (DFA ASPAC photo)

22 May 2019 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. and Myanmar Union Minister for International Cooperation U Kyaw Tin successfully co-chaired and concluded today the 3rd Meeting of the Philippines-Myanmar Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.

The JCBC is the principal mechanism for Foreign Ministerial dialogue between the two countries. The inaugural meeting was held in 2004 in Yangon, while the second meeting was held in 2012 in Manila.

The Secretary and Union Minister Kyaw Tin engaged in candid and extensive discussions, taking stock of the state of overall relations, before considering various proposals and modalities for enhancing cooperation. Both sides also exchanged views on regional and international issues of shared import.

At the conclusion of the JCBC, the two Ministers adopted the meeting’s “Agreed Minutes” summarizing key points of consensus as well as mutual commitments for cooperation spanning political dialogue and exchanges, trade and investment, technical cooperation, education, agriculture, tourism, and cultural cooperation, among others.

The two Ministers also witnessed the signing of the Philippines-Myanmar Air Services Agreement, which further expanded the rights of either countries’ designated airlines, facilitating air travel between the two countries.

The next JCBC will be hosted by the Philippines, at a date to be eventually agreed upon. The Philippines and Myanmar diplomatic relations date back to 29 September 1956.

The convening of the JCBC is one of the principal activities of Secretary Locsin, as he undertakes his official introductory visit to Myanmar on the latter’s invitation. END

(DFA ASPAC photo)