Undersecretary Yabes stressed the importance the Philippine government attaches to ATN as a matter of value and policy in view of the number of Filipinos spread all over the world, including in Russia. The Philippines is thus keen on establishing cooperative mechanisms that would allow both sides to address the consular needs of their respective nationals in each other’s territory, including victims of trafficking in persons, as well as those caught in conflict and other crisis situations in third countries.

Concretely, Undersecretary Yabes stated that the Philippines is looking at cooperation in terms of exchange of information on nationals in distress; consular notification; assistance to victims of human trafficking; emergency evacuation of nationals in crisis areas; and regular consultations between Russian and Philippine authorities, among others.

FMS Director Romodanovsky thanked Undersecretary Yabes for the visit noting that official interactions at their level go a long way in strengthening overall bilateral relations. He gave a general overview of Russia’s views on labor migration and the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe. He underscored the importance of close coordination between labor-sending and receiving countries in order for migration to be mutually beneficial.

Director Romodanovsky stated they are seriously studying the Philippines’ proposals and expressed hope that their initiative on readmission will also be given due consideration by the Philippine side. He added that Russia’s new legislation requiring foreign workers to be proficient in the Russian language has just entered into force this year. Russia’s proposal to establish a Russian cultural center in Cebu that could offer language training programs will therefore beneficial to Filipinos. END