Department of Foreign Affairs Hosts Second Philippines - Belgium Bilateral Consultations
MANILA 27 June 2024 – The Philippines and Belgium successfully concluded their 2nd Bilateral Consultations in Manila on 25 June 2024. The Philippine delegation was headed by DFA Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro, while the Belgian delegation was led by Director-General for Bilateral Affairs Jeroen Cooreman of Belgium’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The consultation is a regular meeting between the Philippine and Belgian Foreign Ministries to discuss bilateral and regional issues of mutual concern.
The two delegations had excellent focused discussions, covering a broad spectrum of bilateral interests, including exchanges of visits, trade and investments, maritime cooperation, labor, renewable energy, science and technology, and human rights.
Undersecretary Lazaro requested Belgium’s support for the timely conclusion of the negotiations of the PH-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), as well as encouraged greater links between the Philippine and Belgian chambers of commerce.
The two delegations also exchanged views on regional and international issues, including recent developments in ASEAN, the South China Sea, Ukraine, Myanmar and the Middle East.
Undersecretary Lazaro expressed appreciation to the EU, which includes Belgium, for its expressions of support for the Philippines regarding incidents in the West Philippine Sea. They emphasized the importance of respecting the rules-based international order.
The Philippine and Belgian delegations both looked forward to the next bilateral consultations in 2026, which will mark the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the two countries’ diplomatic relations. END
