Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan (Photo courtesy of FM Balakrishnan/Facebook)
MANILA – Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan will be on an official visit to the Philippines on April 15 to 17 to bolster relations and map out future engagements, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced Friday.
The DFA said the visit will build on the gains of the 6th Informal-Consultations on the Philippine-Singapore Action Plan (IC-PSAP) held February, where senior officials from the two parties talked about possible cooperation in the fields of energy, climate change, health and maritime domain.
During their bilateral meeting, Balakrishnan and Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo will also “exchange views on regional and international developments,” the DFA said.
“The current visit is expected to build on the gains of the IC-PSAP and plan for future engagements as relations between the two countries continue to deepen,” it said.
“The Philippines and Singapore enjoy more than five decades of multi-faceted engagement in the areas of defense and security, trade and investment, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges,” it added.
During his trip to Singapore last year, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. invited Singaporean businesses to consider the Philippines as their investment hub for renewable energy, noting that foreign investors can enjoy 100 percent equity in the exploration, development, and utilization of solar, wind, hydro, and ocean or tidal energy resources.
Balakrishnan's upcoming Manila trip comes days ahead of the celebration of the 55th anniversary of Philippines-Singapore diplomatic relations in May. (PNA)
