President Marcos has expressed the country's desire to foster its ties with Italy, India, Ireland, Finland, and the European Union (EU) as he welcomed their newly designated ambassadors in Malacañan on Monday, Sept. 23.

In welcoming Italy’s Ambassador-designate Davide Giglio, President Marcos said he expects him to significantly contribute to the already dynamic relations between the Philippines and Italy.

He hoped that the two nations could further work towards increasing and expanding their areas of cooperation.

“[We] are terribly very grateful to Italy for the show of support," Marcos told Giglio referring to the visits of Italian ships this month.

"And we consider it not just a show of support for the Philippines, but also to the rule of law and to make it very clear that we are like-minded states," he added.

In a Facebook post, the President said Italy is a country that is dear to Filipinos.

"Italy holds a special place in our hearts, not only for our strong diplomatic ties but for being home to the second-largest Filipino community in Europe," he wrote.

"I look forward to working closely with the ambassador to explore possibilities on common goals and interests shared by our countries," he added.

The Philippines and Italy celebrated the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations in 2022. Last year, the total trade between the Philippines and Italy reached US$1.2 billion.

Italy ranks as the fourth-largest trading partner of the Philippines in the European Union, with more than 500 companies in the country with Italian equity.

Other ambassadors

Meanwhile, India’s Ambassador-designate Harsh Kumar Jain also presented his credentials to the President.

Marcos recognized the Philippines’ long-standing friendship with India, as he wished to reaffirm the country’s commitment to pursuing stronger political, economic, and cultural ties with the South Asian country.

Last year, the bilateral trade between the two countries reached new heights, surpassing the $3 billion mark.

The Philippine exports to India exceeded $1 billion, making India the Philippines’ 13th biggest export market in 2023.

India and the Philippines also have strong defense ties. The Department of National Defense (DND) recently approved the acquisition of a Shore-Based Anti-Ship Missile System (SBASMS) for the Philippine Navy through a government-to-government (G2G) deal with the delivery of the first batch of articles under the BrahMos Missile System project that arrived last April.

Also presenting their credentials to the President were Ireland’s Ambassador-designate Emma Hickey, Finland’s Ambassador Saija Nurminen, and the European Union’s Ambassador Mariomassimo Santoro.