waving colorful flag of great britain and national flag of philippines. macro
MANILA, Philippines- Nagkasundo ang Pilipinas at ang United Kingdom nitong Martes na lilikha ng framework na magtatatag sa saklaw ng kanilang bilateral ties, sa pagbibigay-diin ng foreign secretaries ng dalawang bansa ng pangangailan ng mas maigting na kooperasyon sa “pressing and evolving regional and international issues of mutual concern.”
Dinisensyo ang Joint Statement of Intent to Develop a Framework Agreement, nilagdaan sa pagbisita ni UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly sa Manila, para sa “exchanges our two countries have been undertaking in the areas of defense, security, maritime, climate, economic and people-to-people ties, since we launched our Enhanced Partnership in 2021,” ayon kay Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo matapos lumagda sa nasabing dokumento.
“It also signals the strengthening of our bilateral ties in trade, investments, security, maritime cooperation and other fields,” dagdag ni Manalo, at binanggit na si Cleverly ang unang British foreign secretary na bumisita sa Pilipinas mula noong 2016.
“It is my hope that our commitment to further elevate our Enhanced Partnership will promote better understanding, and enrich the enduring bonds of friendship between our governments and peoples,” aniya.
Hindi binanggit ng dalawang bansa ang China at ang tensyon sa West Philippine Sea, subalit sinabing ang relasyon ng Pilipinas at ng UK ay “founded on shared values that respect openness, freedom, and respects the rule of law and the adherence to that rule of law.”
“The UK is building enduring partnerships and the Philippines is one of those key partners,” giit ni Cleverly.
Umaasa ang UK “to sharing knowledge on maritime law, promoting maritime domain awareness, and enhancing maritime protections” kasama ang Pilipinas, aniya.
“I visited Coast Guard to hear about the work they do to uphold the UNCLOS and protect the maritime environment,” sabi ni Cleverly.
“I’ve had a valuable set of discussions about what we can do together,” paglalahad pa niya.
Sinabi pa ni Cleverly na “it is an exciting time for our bilateral relationship” as the bilateral trade between the two countries — which now stands at EUR 2.4 billion annually in goods and services — is at the “highest level that it has ever been.”
Ayon kay Cleverly, pinalakas ng British entities ang “investment in clean infrastructure and energy” sa Pilipinas at “launched a new trading scheme to increase Filipino exports to UK.”
“We are very very proud that that exemplifies the close working relationship we have as a nation,” ayon sa British official.
“We aspire to increase that number further and that is an issue we discussed today,” aniya pa.
Bukod sa maritime cooperation at security, nais din ng Manila at London na paigtingin ang pagtutulungan nito sa climate change, trade, science and technology, aniya.
“I am certainty of the prosperity of the United Kingdom and the prosperity of the Philippines will be closely woven in the many many years to come,” anang opisyal. RNT/SA
