By ARGYLL CYRUS B. GEDUCOS
The Philippines and Vietnam have renewed commitment to strengthen their strategic alliance as the two countries celebrated 45 years of diplomatic ties this year.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) made the statement following the meeting between Philippine Ambassador to Vietnam Meynardo Montealegre and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc last week.
According to the DFA, Montealegre paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Phúc on March 17 in Hanoi, Vietnam to discuss the enhancement of the strategic partnership between the two countries.
Phúc told the Filipino envoy that Vietnam always attached importance to the strategic partnership with the Philippines, in which maritime cooperation has an important role to play.
Both the Philippines and Vietnam are claiming portions of the disputed South China Sea. In 2018, Malacañang said Phúc praised President Duterte on the way he handled the issue.
Meanwhile, Phúc said celebrating the 45th anniversary of the formal establishment of diplomatic ties this year served as an occasion for both countries to intensify cooperation in various areas identified.
During their meeting, Montealegre congratulated Vietnam on its effective response to COVID-19. Vietnam has been successful in addressing the pandemic with only 2,570 cases from January 3, 2020 to March 19, 2021, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The country has only registered 35 deaths during the course of the crisis.
Montealegre also extended Duterte’s well-wishes for Phúc’s reelection to the Politburo, the political bureau of the Central Committee Communist Party of Vietnam.
The President also congratulated Vietnam on its non-permanent membership in the United Nations (UN) Security Council, and the fruitful conclusion of the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
Duterte likewise congratulated Phúc for Vietnam’s successful chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2020 despite it being virtual due to the pandemic.
