Remarks of the
Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo for
the Joint Press Briefing with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Raymond Peters of
New Zealand
10 June 2024
His Excellency Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Raymond Peters;
Honored Members of the New Zealand and Philippine Delegations; Members of the Press Corps;
Ladies and gentlemen, Good afternoon.
Earlier, I had the honor of welcoming Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters and his delegation on this official visit to the Philippines.
You will recall that our leaders, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, met here in Manila last April, and agreed to elevate the relationship and cooperation between the Philippines and New Zealand, leading to a Comprehensive Partnership by 2026, the year we mark the 60th anniversary of our diplomatic ties.
Our leaders tasked us, their foreign ministers, to lay down the roadmap to realizing these commitments.
In this context, Foreign Minister Peters and I had a long and fruitful discussion on the work ahead.
We agreed to strengthen our existing mechanisms for cooperation on political, security and defense and labor, and to open new avenues for partnerships in trade and investment that leverage our respective strengths while promoting our national priorities, particularly on renewable energy and combating climate change.
We welcomed the signing of the Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement (MLSA), a pivotal document that will greatly enhance future military engagements between our nations.
Affirming that the robustness of our bilateral relations is underpinned by our strong people-to-people links, we agreed to undertake more frequent exchanges of high-level visits, discuss ways to increase our connectivity through air flights and visas, and celebrate the commonalities of our culture and heritage. In this regard, I expressed appreciation for New Zealand’s recognition of the vital contributions of the Philippine diaspora to New Zealand’s continued economic prosperity and the richness of its social fabric, and conveyed the hope that their government will ensure the well-being of our kababayans, including safeguarding their hard-earned social security pensions.
I thanked New Zealand for its steadfast support for the challenges we are facing in the South China Sea, and we reaffirmed our continued commitment to uphold the rule of law as a pillar to achieving peace and security in the region.
I reiterated the Philippines’ support to New Zealand’s proposal to elevate ASEAN-New Zealand relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership next year, when we mark the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-New Zealand Dialogue Relations as well as celebrating the ASEAN-New Zealand Summit. I am confident that New Zealand will remain a trusted partner in upholding ASEAN centrality.
Recognizing New Zealand’s special role among the member countries of the Pacific Islands Forum, we exchanged views on the current and emerging challenges in our Pacific region and how the Philippines, as a PIF Dialogue Partner, can contribute towards achieving their goals in a beneficial way.
As fellow democratic nations and responsible members of the international community, we agreed to jointly advance the values that we hold dear in the multilateral arenas, especially in the United Nations.
Minister, again I thank you and your delegation for visiting us in Manila.