Secretary Locsin Meets with Turkish FM
PHOTO: Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. (left) met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, on the sidelines of the 52nd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM), Post Ministerial Conferences (PMCs) and Related Meetings on 30 July 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Ministers noted that 2019 marks the 70th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the Philippines and Turkey. Both countries are holding a series of activities in Manila and Ankara to celebrate this important milestone.
Secretary Locsin thanked Minister Çavuşoğlu for Turkey’s commitment and support for the Mindanao Peace Process. Turkey serves as the Chair of the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB) under the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Peace Framework. The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) is also active in Mindanao with its various development projects and activities.
The two officials further discussed Turkey’s engagement with ASEAN as a sectoral dialogue partner. Turkey’s partnership with ASEAN was confirmed during the Philippines’ Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2017.
The bilateral meeting is a first between the two foreign ministers, who discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between the Philippines and Turkey in various fields such as defense, trade and investments, culture, and education. (DFA photos by Anthony Cornista)
