JOINT COMMUNIQUE ON THE MEETING BETWEEN

THE SECRETARY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES, ENRIQUE A. MANALO

AND THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF CHILE, ALBERT VAN KLAVEREN

06 DECEMBER 2024, MANILA, PHILIPPINES

The Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines, Enrique A. Manalo, welcomed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Chile, Albert van Klaveren and his delegation, on 6th December 2024, in Manila. This visit marks a valuable opportunity to advance Philippines-Chile relations, carrying on for over seven decades, and follows important milestones in the bilateral agenda.

The Secretary and the Minister engaged in a substantive discussion on various issues in the bilateral cooperation agenda, including bilateral trade and investments, disaster risk reduction and management, agricultural cooperation, maritime cooperation and tourism cooperation, as well as issues of common concern in the regional and multilateral spheres.

 Secretary Manalo and Minister van Klaveren welcomed the holding of the Second Joint Economic Committee (JEC) on 7-8 November 2024 in Santiago, Chile. They recognized the importance of further deepening bilateral trade relations, and took note of the positive developments in connection with negotiations of a bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which if successful, would be the first between the Philippines and a Latin American country.

The Ministers recalled the 7th ASEAN - Pacific Alliance Ministerial Meeting held on 25 September 2024 on the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly in New York, which they co-chaired. During that meeting, they reviewed the progress in the implementation of the ASEAN - Pacific Alliance Work Plan, and agreed to prioritize activities relating to science, technology and innovation, smart cities and connectivity, and the environment.

They also agreed to promote cooperation activities and deepen trade and investment relations, as well as enhance collaboration in biodiversity, food security, renewable energy, creative industry, tourism, education, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, including the exchange of best practices in these areas. Finally, they noted the importance of the digital economy and supporting MSMEs, e-commerce, and the digital market.

Minister van Klaveren extended an invitation to Secretary Manalo to visit Chile on a mutually agreeable date, in order to deepen ties between the two countries. END