REMARKS FOR THE LIGHTING CEREMONY
OF THE SM MALL OF ASIA GLOBE
ON THE OCCASION OF THE 60th ANNIVERSARY
OF PH-EU DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
12 January 2024
Pasay City
Excellencies, Esteemed Guests,
The Philippines is pleased to celebrate tonight, along with the European Union and its Member States, the 60th anniversary of our warm and friendly diplomatic relations.
The past sixty (60) years have been marked by productive cooperation in a number of mutually-beneficial areas, especially in peace and security, maritime cooperation, trade and investment, sustainable development, good governance, as well as in the promotion of the rules-based international order. We likewise welcome the visit of Her Excellency, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, to Manila last year, wherein she announced a number of new partnerships and projects intended to, in her own words, “accelerate a new era of cooperation between us.”
We look forward to continuing on this path with our partners from the EU — working shoulder-to-shoulder in accomplishing our common goals of peace, stability and prosperity, while remaining guided by our shared values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. This year, we hope to advance our green and digital economy partnerships with the EU, among the many other things mentioned to me by Ambassador Véron, as well as the possible resumption of Free Trade Agreement negotiations.
I wish to thank our hosts, the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines and the SM Group, His Excellency Ambassador Luc Véron and CEO of SM Supermalls, Mr. Steven Tan, for organizing this commemorative lighting ceremony of the iconic Mall of Asia globe. The brilliant display of the anniversary logo at SM’s LED globe represents a light of hope, and the shared aspiration of Filipino and EU citizens alike, for the continued strengthening of our bilateral ties.
My best wishes to all on this very important milestone in Philippines-EU relations, and may our friendship continue to grow in the coming years.
Mabuhay!
END