01 October 2014 – Philippine Ambassador to Poland Patricia Ann V. Paez conducted a presentation on “The Philippines: Current Foreign Policy Concerns” in the event, “Two Days of Diplomacy” organized by the Polish Forum of Young Diplomats (PFYD) on September 10 at PFYD’s office in ul. Oleandrow 6, Warsaw.

The PFYD is a nationwide non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in 2002 that brings together young people, students and graduates of Polish and foreign universities who have defined career ambitions of working in an international environment. PFYD President Jaroslaw Galuba led the participants composed of 30 young professionals working for national and international NGOs, the Polish government or institutions of the European Union (EU).

Ambassador Paez provided a brief background on the Philippines such as geographic location, the strong performance of the economy, its strategic place as a critical entry point to over 608 million people in the ASEAN market, and the three pillars of Philippine foreign policy. She also discussed the state of Philippines-Poland relations.

There was also a discussion on the South China Sea (SCS) issue, including the archipelagic doctrine, maritime entitlements of Philippines and other coastal states, the implications of China’s nine-dash line for the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of coastal states, and Philippine actions to promote the settlement of the maritime dispute.

A video clip of “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” was also played before the end of the forum. In the pursuit of tourism promotion, Embassy personnel offered tokens of appreciation to the organizers and distributed brochures and CDs of “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” and classical Filipino kundiman songs to the participants. END