President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. described the recent milestones achieved by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU) as a “clear step forward to promote connectivity.”
Malacañang said the President made this remark as he delivered a speech as country coordinator of the ASEAN-EU Commemorative Summit in Brussels, Belgium.
This year has marked several milestones between ASEAN and EU, said the President, citing the adoption of the plan of action to implement the ASEAN-EU Strategic Partnership for 2023-2027 last August.
“We have also signed the world’s first bloc-to-bloc air services agreement, the ASEAN-EU Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement, last October,” he noted.
The chief executive said both milestones are “clear commitments from both sides, an active partnership for the post-Covid economic recovery of our region.”
Marcos also cited the continued strengthening of cooperation between the two regions during the pandemic through the following mechanisms: the ASEAN Regional Integration Support from the EU Plus (ARISE+); the EU Support to Higher Education in ASEAN Region (EU SHARE); the Enhanced Regional EU-ASEAN Dialogue Instrument (E-READI); the EU-ASEAN Cooperation on Sustainable Use of Peatland and Haze Mitigation (SUPA); Biodiversity Conservation and Management of Protected Areas in ASEAN (BCAMP); the Integrated Programme in Enhancing the Capacity of AHA Centre and ASEAN Emergency Response Mechanism (EU Support to AHA Centre); and the ASEAN-EU Migration and Border Management Program Phase II.
"We appreciate the EU, the EU Member States, and the EU financial institutions – in short Team Europe – for the combined response of over EUR 800 million to fight the health, social, and economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic in ASEAN," the President said.
Marcos further said that the Summit "imbued all of us as ASEAN and EU Leaders alike with a sense of renewed commitment to continue nurturing and expanding our unique ASEAN-EU partnership" in various areas amid "the myriad challenges."
I am particularly pleased that this landmark ASEAN-EU Commemorative Summit was shepherded to conclusion during the Philippines’ coordinatorship for ASEAN-EU Dialogue Relations and that the adopted ASEAN-EU Joint Leaders’ Statement is reflective of the broad nature of our relations and shows clear commitments from both sides to further enhance our relations," he said.
Marcos also took great pride in the Philippines’ role as the coordinator for ASEAN-EU dialog relations as the two blocs mark 45 years of enduring partnership.
He thanked all the ASEAN and EU member states for their support and cooperation “as we chart new paths to further strengthen our partnership.”
“As coordinator of our relations from 2022 to 2024, I assure you of the Philippines’ continuing efforts to sustain successful and vibrant relations between our regions, and as always the case, we are stronger together than we are alone,” the President said.
He also expressed hopes that the EU and ASEAN can achieve more milestones as the Philippines continues to guide the ASEAN-EU Dialogue Relations until 2024.