PH Chairs 17th Southwest Pacific Dialogue Ministerial Meeting

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. (second from right) joins fellow Southwest Pacific Dialogue Ministers before their meeting on 1 August 2019 in Bangkok.  (DFA photo by Anthony Cornista)

BANGKOK 01 August 2019 — Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. chaired the 17th Ministerial Meeting of the Southwest Pacific Dialogue (SwPD) on 01 August 2019 on the sidelines of the 52nd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) in Bangkok, Thailand. 

The SwPD is a forum for its six members--Australia, Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Timor-Leste--to exchange views and information on various issues of common concern.

In attendance were Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno L. P. Marsudi, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters, Timor Leste Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Minister Dionisio da Costa Babo Soares, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Deputy Secretary for the Indo-Pacific Group Richard Maude, and Special Envoy and Papua New Guinea Embassy in Indonesia Chargé d'affaires a.i.  Frank Mizigi.

The meeting focused attention on regional maritime security and cooperation, including marine biodiversity and environmental protection; inter-connectivity and cyber security; and disaster risk management. 

The Ministers recognized the need to maximize the opportunities inherent in greater cooperation within the sub-region, and agreed to pursue concerted efforts in combatting damaging effects of climate change in the region, sea level rise, and extreme weather occurrences in recent years. 

They underscored the importance of the sustainable use of fisheries and marine resources, and the need to regularly share information on marine issues, as well as exchanged views on the advancement of regional connectivity through potential projects on connectivity development in transport, trade, energy and ICT linkages, in support of inclusive economic growth. 

At its conclusion, the meeting adopted a Joint Statement reaffirming the importance of regional cooperation and committing to stronger cooperation among the SwPD countries. 

The Philippines turned over to Timor-Leste the Chairmanship of the 18th Southwest Pacific Dialogue Ministerial Meeting in Viet Nam in 2020. END

Secretary Locsin makes his intervention as he chairs the 17th Ministerial Meeting of the Southwest Pacific Dialogue (SwPD).  Joining him are members of the Philippine delegation.  17th Ministerial Meeting of the Southwest Pacific Dialogue (SwPD) on 01 August 2019. (DFA photo by Anthony Cornista)