PH Holds Inaugural Consular Dialogue with the UK

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for European Affairs Jaime Victor Ledda (center) with British Ambassador to the Philippines, Laure Beaufils (Left), and Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Director for Consular Affairs, Jennifer Anderson (right) during the inaugural PH-UK Consular Dialogue held on 16 February 2022.  (Photo by DFA-OEA)

PASAY CITY, 16 February 2022 –The Philippines, led by Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for European Affairs Jaime Victor Ledda, and the United Kingdom (UK) led by Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Director for Consular Affairs, Jennifer Anderson successfully held this afternoon an inaugural consular dialogue between the two countries.

The meeting welcomed initial exchanges between both sides on the proposed Philippines-UK Transfer of Sentenced Persons Agreement.

Both countries discussed views and perspectives on consular concerns that affect their respective citizens, particularly those relating to passports, civil registry and assistance to nationals.

The Philippines and the UK committed to sustain this new mechanism for dialogue as a venue for exchanging views, and crucially, its role in expanding the scope of consular cooperation and further strengthening bilateral relations.

The consular dialogue is one of the five pillars of the “Enhanced Partnership” between the Philippines and UK, which aside from consular, include political, economic, climate, and defense matters.  Under this enhanced partnership, both countries aim to drive forward joint activities in pursuit of shared priorities leading towards prosperity, security and people-to-people exchanges in the future. 

The Enhanced Partnership was officially launched in London last November by Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin and UK Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss in celebration of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The PH-UK Joint Statement on the Consular Dialogue may also be accessed here. END

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for European Affairs Jaime Victor Ledda (second row, middle), Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Senen Mangalile (second row, right), Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Paul Raymund P. Cortes (top row, right), British Ambassador to the Philippines, Laure Beaufils (top row, middle), Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Director for Consular Affairs, Jennifer Anderson (second row, left), and other members of the PH-UK delegations during the inaugural PH-UK Consular Dialogue held on 16 February 2022.  (Photo by DFA-OEA)