Philippines and Mexico Hold Third Bilateral Consultative Mechanism Meeting on Milestone Year of Diplomatic Relations
The Department of Foreign Affairs led by Assistant Secretary for the Office of American Affairs Jose Victor Chan-Gonzaga and Director General for Asia-Pacific of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Fernando Gonzales Saiffe lead the discussions in the 3rd meeting of the Bilateral Consultative Mechanism between the Philippines and Mexico.
PASAY 30 November 2023 – Rounding off the milestone year of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Mexico, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores de México (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico) held the 3rd Meeting of the Bilateral Consultative Mechanism (BCM) on 24 November 2023 through a virtual format. The last BCM was held in May 2019 in Mexico City.
Heading the Philippine delegation was DFA - Office of American Affairs Assistant Secretary José Victor Chan-Gonzaga while Director General for Asia-Pacific Fernando Gonzales Saiffe of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico led the Mexican delegation.
In his opening remarks, Assistant Secretary Chan-Gonzaga highlighted that the BCM comes at an opportune time as both countries celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Philippine-Mexico diplomatic relations this year.
Regarded as a platform to facilitate comprehensive discussions on bilateral relations, the BCM is a mechanism for both the Philippines and Mexico to review the different aspects of cooperation and establish concrete plans to strengthen current relations.
The delegations discussed the common areas for cooperation including trade and economic investments, market access for agricultural products, disaster risk reduction and management, tourism promotion, and cultural exchange and awareness. Both sides committed to the implementation of the Tourism Agreement signed in 2015, and the swift conclusion of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cultural Cooperation between the cultural agencies of both countries.
“In enhancing our relations with Mexico, we are dedicated to fulfilling current agreements while exploring more avenues for cooperation. Certainly, the Philippines looks forward to working with Mexico in recognizing our common interests and experiences that will contribute to charting the future of both our countries,” Assistant Secretary Chan-Gonzaga emphasized.
Philippine Economic Zone Authority Deputy Director-General for Policy and Planning Anidelle Joy M. Alguso gave a short presentation on the opportunities for Mexico for economic investments and promotion of its products to the Philippines. Mexico is the third largest trading partner of the Philippines in Latin America next to Brazil and Argentina.
Both countries were also keen to explore cooperation on space technology and earth observations, ocean protection and governance, use of electronic technology for overseas voting, and assistance to migrant workers and nationals abroad. Moreover, the discussions highlighted the participation of both the Philippines and Mexico in regional and multilateral organizations which contribute to the deepening of diplomatic relations.
“Inspired by our milestone year of diplomatic relations, we envision the partnership with Mexico to maintain its solid foundation and open more opportunities to bring our countries and people closer in the coming years,” Assistant Secretary Chan-Gonzaga added.
The Department conveyed the proposal to convening the 4th BCM in 2025 at the level of Undersecretaries to reaffirm the level of commitment and importance of relations between the two countries. END
The Philippine delegation led by Office of American Affairs Assistant Secretary Jose Victor Chan-Gonzaga (upper left) joined by Ambassador of the Philippines to Mexico Lilybeth R. Deapera (lower left) meet with the Mexican delegation led by Director General for Asia-Pacific of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Fernando Gonzales Saiffe (upper right), and the Ambassador of Mexico to the Philippines Daniel Hernández Joseph in the 3rd Philippines-Mexico Bilateral Consultative Mechanism Meeting.