Philippines and Albania Agree to Pursue Closer Economic and Cultural Cooperation
Ambassador Neal Imperial hands over his Letter of Credence to Albanian President Bajram Begaj at a ceremony held on 01 December 2023 at the Presidential Palace in Tirana (photo from the Office of the President of the Republic of Albania).
TIRANA 11 DECEMBER 2023 - Philippine Ambassador to Albania Neal Imperial and Albanian President Bajram Begaj agreed to pursue closer political, economic, and cultural cooperation during their meeting on 01 December 2023, after Ambassador Imperial presented his Letter of Credence and the Letter of Recall of his predecessor to President Begaj.
Ambassador Imperial was accompanied by Deputy Chief of Mission Nina Cainglet, Minister Donna Celeste Feliciano-Gatmaytan and Philippine Consul Loritan Prespa, a.h.
Ambassador Imperial welcomed President Begaj’s call for closer economic and trade exchanges, especially with the rapid growth of Albania’s tourism and construction sectors. He expressed appreciation for the Albanian business delegation which visited the Philippines in November to explore trade and investment opportunities. He further thanked President Begaj for Albania’s hosting of around 400 Filipino workers living and working in Albania, and underscored the importance of a bilateral labor cooperation agreement to protect the rights and promote the welfare of the Filipino workers in Albania.
Ambassador Imperial also shared that every Filipino is aware of Albania as the 19th century Filipino epic poem, Florante and Laura, which is set in the Kingdom of Albania, is required reading for Filipino high school students. President Begaj expressed hope that the Filipino literary classic would be translated into Albanian, so that Albanian students could also learn the epic poem.
During his visit to Tirana, Ambassador Imperial also met officials from the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance and Economy, Ministry of State and Chief Negotiator, Ministry of State for Entrepreneurship and Business Climate, and the Tirana Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Ambassador Imperial is based at the Philippine Embassy in Rome, and is accredited as a non-resident Ambassador to Albania, Malta and San Marino. He is also the Permanent Representative to the UN Rome-based agencies, namely the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), International Development Law Organization (IDLO) and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM).
The Philippines and Albania marked 35 years of diplomatic relations last year (2022). END
Ambassador Neal Imperial pledges to pursue closer political, economic, and cultural ties with Albania during the meeting with Albanian President Bajram Begaj as part of the presentation of credentials ceremony held on 01 December 2023 at the Presidential Palace in Tirana (photo from the Office of the President of the Republic of Albania).
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