Foreign Affairs Acting Undersecretary Lazaro Meets with UK Ambassador to ASEAN Lambe

From left to right: Her Britannic Majesty’s Ambassador to the Philippines Laure Beaufils, Acting Undersecretary Maria Theresa P. Lazaro, UK Ambassador to ASEAN Jonathan Michael Lambe, Assistant Secretary Daniel R. Espiritu. (DFA-Office of Protocol photo)

PASAY CITY 11 April 2022 – DFA Acting Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro welcomed to the Department of Foreign Affairs the United Kingdom’s Ambassador to ASEAN, Ambassador Jonathan Michael Lambe, on 07 April 2022, to discuss their suggestions on strengthening the newly-established ASEAN-United Kingdom Dialogue Relations and to share their views on regional and international issues. 

During the meeting, Acting Undersecretary Lazaro and Ambassador Lambe exchanged views on the situation in Myanmar,  including on the recent visit of the Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair to Myanmar; developments in the ASEAN-UK Dialogue Partnership, including the upcoming meetings of its Senior Officials and Ministers in the coming months; and shared their priorities and recommendations for the ASEAN-UK Plan of Action (POA) and expressed optimism that the POA will be adopted this year.

Acting Undersecretary Lazaro relayed the Philippines’ priorities for the ASEAN-UK POA, such as maritime cooperation, post-COVID-19 recovery, digital connectivity and e-commerce, MSMEs, as well as biodiversity conservation and management. Ambassador Lambe noted that the UK’s priorities are aligned with the Philippines’, and expressed their appreciation for the Philippines’ support for the UK’s application for Dialogue Partnership.

Ambassador Lambe, who is based in Jakarta, was accompanied by Ambassador Laure Beaufils, UK Ambassador to the Philippines, and Deputy Head of Mission Alistair White. END