FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo will visit Malaysia and Thailand this week to strengthen the country’s diplomatic and economic ties with its two neighbors.
Manalo will be in Kuala Lumpur today, Thursday, upon the invitation of his Malaysian counterpart, Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mohamad Bin Haji Hasan, for the 8th Philippines-Malaysia Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) between the two countries.
The 8th JCM, according to Manalo’s office, will provide a valuable opportunity to review the progress of bilateral cooperation since the last JCM was conducted in Manila in 2011.
“During the JCM, the Secretary and the Foreign Minister will discuss matters of mutual interest to both countries and the Southeast Asian region,” the DFA said, adding he will also be attending a diplomatic reception hosted by the Philippine Embassy to celebrate the 60 years of bilateral relations of both countries.
The reconvening of the JCM, according to the DFA, is an operationalization of one of the commitments discussed between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim last year.
On October 18, Manalo will undertake his first official visit to Thailand upon the invitation of his Thai counterpart Maris Sangiampongsa.
During the visit, the two will hold a bilateral meeting and co-chair the Ministerial Meeting of the 6th Philippines-Thailand Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation, a bilateral mechanism established on 24 March 1992 to facilitate cooperation and consultation between Manila and Bangkok on a wide array of issues of bilateral and regional concern.
The Philippines and Thailand are also commemorating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year.
Manalo’s visit to Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok comes on the heels of the conclusion of the ASEAN Summit and Related Summit in Laos where Marcos said a majority of the bloc’s members supported Manila’s stance regarding China’s aggressive activities in the South China Sea.
