Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo is flying to Vietnam today, July 31, and then to Laos on August 3 for separate talks with officials of countries tackling various areas of bilateral cooperation.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Manalo will stay in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi from July 31 to August 3 for the 10th Philippines-Vietnam Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC).
There, he will discuss with Vietnamese officials possible partnership on defense, maritime, economy and people-to-people.
Manalo is also slated to speak at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam with the theme, "Philippines-Vietnam Strategic Partnership in the Age of Change."
On August 3, the country's top diplomat will proceed to Vientiane for the 2nd Philippines-Lao PDR JCBC until August 5.
During the gathering, he will review the current Philippines-Laos relations and explore ways to expand cooperation.
He will also engage with the diplomatic community through his talk at the Institute of Foreign Affairs, entitled "Closer Together: People at the Center of Philippines-Laos Relations."
The JCBC is the primary mechanism that the Philippines has with both Vietnam and Laos that provides an opportunity to comprehensively discuss bilateral relations, as well as various regional and global issues.