MANILA, Philippines- Tinintahan ng Pilipinas at Mongolia ang Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) para pangunahan ang isang English-training program na pahintulutan ang Mongolian civil servants at rural officials na isulong ang foreign language training sa Pilipinas.
Ito ang inanunsyo sa joint press conference, araw ng Lunes, May 19, nina Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo at Mongolian Foreign Minister Battsetseg Batmunkh sa Pasay City.
“I have also responded positively to Mongolia’s interest in learning from the Philippines’ experience in the area of regional development and in pursuing English language training for Mongolian civil servants and rural officials in the Philippines,” ang sinabi ni Manalo sa mga mamamahayag matapos ang kanyang bilateral meeting kasama ang Mongolian official.
“In this regard, I have just exchanged with Minister Battsetseg diplomatic notes pertaining to a pilot program for Mongolians to study English in the Philippines, which will be organized by the Technical Cooperation Council of the Philippines,” dagdag na wika nito.
Para naman kay Battsetseg, winelcome nito ang paglagda sa MOU at kinilala ang “global leadership in English-language education” ng Pilipinas.
“This initiative draws upon the Philippines’ international technology expertise and is aimed at enhancing the skills of Mongolian youth and civil servants, especially in global areas, contributing to our national objective of inclusive regional development,” anito.
Ang Mongolian foreign minister ay nasa Maynila para sa two-day visit nito mula May 19 hanggang 20 kabilang na ang courtesy calls kay Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at Senate President Francis Escudero.
Tanda ito ng unang pagkakataon na ang isang Mongolian foreign minister ay bumisita sa Pilipinas simula pa noong 1984. Senyales din ito ng pagtugon sa naging pagbisita ni Manalo sa Mongolia noong Agosto ng nakaraang taon.
Gayundin, sinabi ni Battsetseg ang kahalagahan ng pagtutulungan sa “critical issues of food and labor security, areas of increasing global concern.”
“In this context, we welcomed the progress toward concluding a Memorandum of Understanding on Agricultural Cooperation, which aligns with Mongolia’s National Food Supply and Security Campaign,” ang tinuran ni Battsetseg.
Ikinagalak naman ng opisyal ang positibong pagtugon ng Pilipinas sa panukalang labor agreement ng Mongolia na naglalayong pagtibayin ang karapatan at kapakanan ng mga filipinong manggagawa roon.
“Through the Foreign Minister, I thanked the Mongolian Government for helping ensure that the rights and welfare of around five hundred Filipinos living in Mongolia are protected. I discussed with her our desire to forge cooperative frameworks that will better protect Filipinos in Mongolia,” ang sinabi naman ni Manalo.
Sinabi pa ni Battsetseg na mayroon ding “mutual commitment” para palakasin ang ‘economic and trade ties,’ at pagtutulungan ng dalawang bansa na palawakin ang trade volume.
At sa karagdagang trabaho para sa economic cooperation sa pagitan ng dalawang bansa, kasama sa bilateral meeting ang Department of Economy, Economic Planning and Development (dating NEDA), at Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
Sinabi ni Manalo na ipinakikita nito “how much potential there is to develop in our bilateral relations.”
Samantala, pinasalamatan naman ng Manila ang Mongolia sa paglahok kamakailan sa nagtapos na High-Level Conference on Middle-Income Countries noong nakaraang linggo, ipinalabas ng Makati Declaration on Middle-Income Countries.
“As middle-income countries, we share an interest in pursuing cooperation to sustain our promising development trajectories,” ang naging pahayag ni Manalo. Kris Jose
