Today, the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, welcomed Theresa Lazaro, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, to Canada to deepen the economic and security partnership between the two countries.
Secretary Lazaro travelled to Vancouver, British Columbia, with Ferdinand Marcos Jr., President of the Philippines, for the first visit by a head of state of the Philippines to Canada in more than a decade.
During their meeting, Minister Anand and Secretary Lazaro discussed the Canada-Philippines Strategic Partnership that was announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. this week, reflecting the progress made in strengthening bilateral cooperation in recent years.
Minister Anand highlighted that the Philippines is one of Canada's most valued partners in the Indo-Pacific and that the relationship between the two countries has deepened significantly over the last few years.
Minister Anand and Secretary Lazaro discussed accelerating negotiations toward a Canada-Philippines free trade agreement and an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Canada free trade agreement.
The ministers alsotalked aboutthe importance of maintaining peace, stability and maritime security and safety in the South China Sea and reaffirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region. The ministers also discussed areas for energy and cybersecurity cooperation.
Minister Anand told her counterpart that she looks forward to building on this strong momentum when she visits the Philippines later this month for the ASEAN-Canada Post-Ministerial Conference and the ASEAN Regional Forum Ministerial Meeting.
