Manalo is 1st DFA chief to visit Cyprus to pursue bilateral ties
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo became the first Philippine foreign chief to visit Cyprus as he begins to work on strengthening the bilateral ties between the two nations.
DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo (left) meets President Nikos Christodoulides (center) during his recent visit to Cyprus. (Photo from Manalo’s X post)
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, June 22, the official shared about his “historic first official visit” to Cyprus, where he met with President Nikos Christodoulides to discuss various issues, including Ukraine, Gaza, and the South China Sea issue.
“(The Philippines and Cyprus) share the core value of adherence to the #RulesBasedInternationalOrder (and) international law, including UNCLOS. We are partnering with other like-minded countries for the peaceful resolution of disputes,” Manalo wrote.
He said that both countries “have several opportunities to work together,” leading to 45th anniversary of their relations in 2025.
During his visit, the DFA chief also met with Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos and President of House of Representatives Annita Demetriou.
(From left) DFA chief Enrique Manalo and Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos shake hands during their bilateral meeting. (Enrique Manalo/X)
“We agreed to work together, pursue concrete cooperation in maritime, trade, education, culture, and people-to-people exchanges, and to convene soon 1st (Philippine-Cyprus) Political Consultations,” Manalo said of his meeting with Kombos.
He also stressed in his post that the Philippines and Cyprus will remain “united in upholding” rules-based international order and international law “as basis for dialogue and diplomacy to address key regional and international issues.”
“Imp(ortan)t (Philippines, Cyprus, and) other like-minded countries ensure voices of small (and) medium countries (are) heard on global stage,” he stressed.
In his meeting with Demetriou, the second-in-line to the Cyprus government, Manalo highlighted that “parliamentary interactions are an important part of diplomacy.”

DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo and House of Representatives President Annita Demetriou of Cyprus (Photo from Manalo’s X post)
The DFA secretary added that both countries share the view of increasing such exchanges in the future.
The official also updated Cyprus of how the Philippine economy is gaining strength, its migration policy, and the labor cooperation opportunities with Cyprus.