Undersecretary Manalo Makes Milestone Official Visit to Uruguay for High-Level Bilateral Consultations
Undersecretary for Policy Enrique A. Manalo (right) and Ambassador Enrique Loedel (left), Director General for Political Affairs of Uruguay Foreign Ministry signs the Memorandum of Understanding between the Foreign Service of the Philippines and the Artigas Institute of Uruguay.
30 August 2017 BUENOS AIRES – The relations between the Philippines and Uruguay reached a milestone with the first-ever official bilateral visit by a senior Filipino official to Uruguay recently.
Upon the invitation of the Uruguay government, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Enrique A. Manalo met with Uruguay Vice Foreign Minister for Policy Enrique Loedel for high-level consultations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Montevideo on 23 August 2017.
Undersecretary Manalo was the highest Filipino official to make a bilateral visit to Uruguay since diplomatic relations were established between the two countries on 29 December 1975.
The two senior officials had a comprehensive discussion on the state of bilateral cooperation, and on the need to further stimulate political and economic exchanges between the Philippines and Uruguay. They agreed to explore specific bilateral activities and projects to promote trade and investments and further areas. They also agreed to exert effort to implement existing MOUs, such as on agriculture and on sports, with both officials noting that their meeting could serve as a political impetus for sustained and productive collaboration between each country’s other government agencies.
They also had an exchange of views on a wide range of regional and international developments, including the fight against terrorism, drug trafficking and other transnational crimes.
“These high-level consultations will serve to reinvigorate the partnership between the Philippines and Uruguay, as part of the effort to deepen engagement with Latin America as envisioned under the “Bridge Build Bridge” policy of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano. This also bodes well for our plan to convene the first ever formal bilateral consultation mechanism between the two countries as soon as possible”, remarked Undersecretary Manalo.
The meeting was highlighted by the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Foreign Service Institute of the Philippines and the Artigas Institute of Uruguay. The MOU is envisioned to boost people-to-people exchanges between the two countries through their respective diplomatic academies.
