Secretary Manalo, Foreign Minister Joly Vow to Elevate PH-Canada Cooperation and Collaborate on a Peaceful, Stable and Prosperous Indo-Pacific
Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo and Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly lead a wide-ranging discussion on bilateral and regional issues in Manila on 19 May 2023. Minister Joly undertakes an official visit to the Philippines on 18-21 May 2023 upon the invitation of Secretary Manalo. (DFA-OPCD photo)
MANILA 19 May 2023 — Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo and his Canadian counterpart, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly, had excellent discussions today on concrete and comprehensive steps to further reinforce Philippines’ and Canada’s strong relationship and, through this relationship, to contribute to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Secretary Manalo and Minister Joly agreed to elevate existing bilateral cooperation across socio-economic, political and security sectors and launch new initiatives such as on climate action and climate transition financing, as both countries prepare the ground for the celebration of 75 years of diplomatic relations in 2024.
They agreed to sustain the positive momentum of official exchanges, including among authorities involved in maritime security, marine environmental protection, and sustainable fisheries in support of institutional capacity-building in these sectors in the Philippines.
Secretary Manalo welcomed the priority that Canada attaches to the Philippines and ASEAN in its Indo-Pacific Strategy, and the opportunities provided by this policy to expand regional connectivity and cooperation in wide-ranging areas. He expressed the hope that this will contribute to making Indo-Pacific more secure, stable and prosperous.
The Philippines and Canada agree on the need to promote the rule of law in the South China Sea, to safeguard freedom of navigation and overflight, promote the peaceful resolution of disputes and preserve marine ecosystem, in accordance with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea.
The Ministers agreed to convene the 6th Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) meeting in October 2023 to set the priorities and elevate the scope and scale of relationship in the 21st century. They also considered holding regular meetings at Foreign Minister level.
They affirmed the importance of upholding ASEAN Centrality in the regional security architecture. They looked forward to the launch of the ASEAN-Canada Strategic Partnership at the ASEAN-Canada Summit later this year.
The Ministers highlighted the vibrant people-to-people ties between the two countries, through tourists, scholars and Filipinos in Canada. Canada is home to close to a million people of Filipino descent, who make up the fourth biggest diaspora populations in Canada.
The Ministers also exchanged views on a number of regional and global issues of mutual concern, including developments in the Taiwan Straits, the Korean Peninsula and Ukraine. END