Marcos off to Australia to address Parliament

- Advertisement -

PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. leaves today for an overnight visit to address the Australian Parliament and meet senior officials led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about defense and security, trade, investments, and people-to-people exchanges, among others.

He returns to Australia three days later for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Australia Special Summit from March 4 to 6.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokeswoman Ma. Teresita Daza said the February 28-29 visit to Canberra, which is considered a state visit, is upon the invitation of Governor General David Hurley and aims to strengthen existing bonds of cooperation between the Philippines and Australia and discuss new avenues of possible collaboration.

- Advertisement -

“The visit is envisioned to further cement the strategic partnership that reaffirmed the two countries’ shared interest in regional prosperity and peace. The President’s visit and official activities in Canberra shall further strengthen existing bonds of cooperation and shall enable discussions for new avenues of collaboration, as both the Philippines and Australia look forward to celebrating the 78th anniversary of diplomatic relations later this year,” Daza said.

During the overnight visit, the President will address the Australian parliament and discuss the vision and future of the Philippines-Australia strategic partnership.

The government prides itself on Marcos being the first Philippine President to speak before the Australian Parliament.

Daza said the President will join other world leaders who have spoken before the Australian Parliament, including US President George W. Bush, President Barack Obama, Hu Jintao of the People’s Republic of China, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“So, it will be very significant, it will be an opportunity for both — for the President to discuss the close and enduring relations between the two countries but at the same time see how we can actually explore areas to further deepen the relations,” she said.

Daza said during the visit, Marcos would also have a meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, members of the Australian Parliament and Hurley for “constructive discussions on defense and security, trade, investments, people-to-people exchanges, multilateral cooperation, and regional issues.

“This is a very good opportunity for the Philippines not only to underscore the shared vision about the future with Australia and this coming after the two of us elevating our partnership to strategic partnership but will also help us underscore both countries as maritime nations have actually committed to adherence to the rules-based order international law,” she said.

The Philippines and Australia agreed in September last year to enhance the bilateral partnerships of the two countries by elevating their relations from a comprehensive to a strategic partnership that will expand their cooperation in various areas.

Daza said Marcos is also expected to witness the signing of new agreements in areas of common interest to complement the already robust cooperation with Australia and expand engagements for mutual capacity-building.

The Philippines and Australia will celebrate the 78th anniversary of diplomatic relations in November this year.

As of 2022, about 408,000 Filipinos and Australian-Filipinos are living in Australia.

Australia is one of the only two countries with which the Philippines has a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA). In 2023, the two countries embarked on a Strategic Partnership that enhanced the bilateral relations from a Comprehensive Partnership in 2015.

SECOND VISIT

The President is expected to return to Manila late Thursday and fly back to Melbourne for the March 4 to 6 ASEAN-Australia Special Summit.

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Daniel Espiritu said Marcos’ attendance at the special summit is upon the invitation of Prime Minister Albanese.

Espiritu said the President may highlight the cooperation of the Philippines and Australia on maritime issues, climate change, clean energy, and people-to-people exchange during the summit, and encourage Australia to remain committed to peaceful resolution of disputes as well as maintain respect for rules-based order and multilateralism.

Marcos is expected to attend the Leaders’ Plenary and the Leaders’ Retreat on March 6 where he is expected to thank Australia for its unwavering support for the rule of law, the 1982 United Nations Conventions on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling on the South China Sea (SCS).

The President may also highlight the ASEAN-Australia cooperation on maritime issues, climate and clean energy track, people-to-people exchange, and economic cooperation.

- Advertisement -spot_img

Daza said the South China Sea issue is expected to be raised, given that the Philippines has “strong” defense and security relations with Australia.

Espiritu said that on the sidelines of the summit, the President will have separate bilateral meetings with Cambodia and New Zealand. He did not elaborate.

He said Marcos would address the Lowy Institute on March 4 to highlight the Philippines’ role as “an active participant in world affairs and a contributor to the rules-based regional security architecture,” and met with the Filipino community.

The President is also expected to deliver a speech during the launch of the Victoria International Container Terminal, the first fully automated container terminal in Australia, and attend a Philippine Business Forum in Melbourne to promote the country’s business climate and entice more investments.

Marcos’ two trips to Australia mark his third and fourth international travels this year, following his attendance at a royal wedding in Brunei and a state visit to Vietnam.

Author

- Advertisement -

Share post: