SWEDISH MINISTER. Sweden's Foreign Trade Minister Johan Forssell (left) answers question from the Philippine press in a media roundtable at Swedish Ambassador Annika Thunborg's residence in Makati City on Friday (May 19, 2023). This is the first high-level mission of Forssell to the Philippines and in Asia, highlighting the importance of the Philippines as Sweden's partner in the region. (PNA photo by Kris Crismundo)
MANILA – A high-ranking Swedish government executive is on a two-day visit in the Philippines to explore potential investments and cooperation, citing the domestic economy’s robust expansion.
In a briefing Friday, Sweden's Foreign Trade Minister Johan Forssell, who is on a two-day high-level mission in the country since May 18, highlighted the importance of Sweden's bilateral relations with the Philippines and the ASEAN region.
"(T)here is a strong and growing interest among many Swedish companies in investing here. This has to do (not only) with the strong economic growth, but also the fact that there is a huge population here," he said.
Forssell said he had met with the Secretaries of the Trade and Industry, Energy, Finance, Foreign Affairs and National Defense to discuss future cooperation between the Philippines and Sweden.
He said his meeting with Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual focused on strengthening business-to-business relations to promote flow of trade and investments in different sectors.
The foreign trade minister discussed with Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla the interest of Swedish companies in energy transmission, where Sweden is a world leader, as well as generation of renewable energy (RE) from solar and wind.
His talks with Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, on the other hand, focused on the opportunities in infrastructure projects in line with the Marcos administration's "Build Better More".
He is scheduled to meet with Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. to look into opportunities where the two countries can further boost partnerships. (PNA)
