He foreign secretary of the Philippines, Enrique A. Manalo, met on May 16 with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives, Abdulla Shahid, on the sidelines of the Munich Leaders’ Meeting, held in Tokyo, to discuss the improvement of bilateral cooperation in various fields on the eve of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the Maldives.
“Our goal is to establish a mechanism for political consultations between our foreign affairs ministries and explore ways to further improve our interpersonal ties,” Secretary Manalo said during the meeting.
“As archipelagos, the Philippines and the Maldives share similar concerns and could cooperate in various fields, such as facilitating climate change mitigation and adaptation, protecting the marine environment, and promoting sustainable tourism,” the diplomat added.
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For his part, Minister Shahid expressed his appreciation to the 2,000 Filipinos living and working in the Maldives, noting their significant contributions to the Maldivian economy. In turn, the secretary thanked the Maldives for the good treatment given to Filipinos in the country.
As archipelagos, the Philippines and the Maldives share similar concerns and could cooperate in various fields.
Secretary Manalo and Minister Shahid have also agreed to an exchange of visits in 2024 to mark the golden anniversary of bilateral ties.
