Philippines and Lithuania Hold Inaugural Political Consultations in Manila, 20 June 2024
MANILA 20 June 2024 – Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro co-chaired the inaugural Philippines-Lithuania Political Consultations with Undersecretary for Political Affairs Egidijus Meilūnas of the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Manila on 20 June 2024.
During the consultations, Undersecretary Lazaro welcomed the accelerated pace of engagements between the two countries, particularly the recent meeting between Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė at the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. Both countries recognized the potential for expanding cooperation, deepening economic and sectoral ties, and identifying partnership opportunities between the Philippines and Lithuania.
Undersecretary Lazaro said that “the strength of our bilateral relationship, as like-minded partners, will be forged by continuous dialogue and cooperation on practical sectors that benefit our people.”
The co-chairs looked forward to advancing discussions on several areas of cooperation, particularly on consular, defense and maritime issues. They also acknowledged that the Philippines and Lithuania could explore exchanges in digitalization and e-government, cybersecurity, energy, and science and technology all of which play an important part in enabling accountability, transparency and resilience in both the public and private sectors.
Moreover, the Philippine and Lithuanian delegations discussed sectoral cooperation in maritime, trade and investments, science and technology, consular, and people-to-people exchanges. They also exchanged views on various regional and international issues of mutual concern, particularly on geopolitical developments in the Indo-Pacific, West Philippine Sea, Europe and the Middle East. END