THE Philippines has vowed to sustain and strengthen warm and friendly relations with Sri Lanka and Uganda.
President Marcos Jr. received Sri Lankan Ambassador Chanaka Harsha Talpahewa and Uganda non-resident Ambassador Betty Oyella Bigombe during separate courtesy calls in Malacanang last Tuesday.
The President recognized that the relationship between the Philippines and Sri Lanka has been ongoing for the past 62 years which he wishes to “continue to develop and continue to make stronger.
“Both our countries are looking to the future to develop the economies of our countries and to make a better life for our people. And I believe that we can find ways to work together to the mutual benefit of both our countries,” Marcos said.
Talpahewa said he is looking to further consolidate and strengthen the warm and friendly bilateral ties between the Philippines and Sri Lanka and vowed “to take it to the next level.”
The Philippines and Sri Lanka established formal diplomatic relations on January 11, 1961.
Sri Lanka ranked as the Philippines’ 75th trading partner in 2022 with total trade reaching US$29.29 million.
There are 677 Filipinos in Sri Lanka as of 2022, working as craft and related trade professionals, managers, plant and machine operators and assemblers, professionals, services and sales workers, skilled agricultural forestry and fishery workers, and technicians and associate professionals, among others.
PH-UGANDA TIES
The President also expressed hope the Philippines and Uganda could find ways to strengthen their relationship with the help of Bigombe.
“I hope that during the time you will be with us, you will be able to find many ways to strengthen the relationship between our two countries. We are very much on the same path, our two countries, and therefore, I think the experiences and lessons that we have learned along the way will be of benefit to both our countries so long as we keep our partnership strong and our alliances very profound and alive,” Marcos said.
Bigombe said the two countries have had warm, cordial, and traditional relations for a long time and believes that “the Philippines and Uganda are on the same path of delivering economic development to their people given their recent high growth witnessed in the past.”
Uganda ranked as the Philippines’ 123rd trading partner in 2022 with a total trade value of US$4.04 million.
There are an estimated 96 Filipinos in Uganda as of last year, the majority of them professionals and skilled workers.
