PGMA's Opening Statement during the state visit of President Ion Iliescu of Romania |
Reception Hall, Malacanang (19 February 2002) |
| THE PRESIDENT OF
ROMANIA, HIS EXCELLENCY PRESIDENT ILIESCU, AND I HAVE JUST HELD FRUITFUL TALKS. HIS VISIT COMMEMORATES 30 YEARS OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN OUR TWO COUNTRIES. THE PHILIPPINES ESTABLISHED DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH ROMANIA ON THE 29th OF FEBRUARY IN 1972 -- IT WAS THE FIRST TIME WE DID THIS WITH A SOCIALIST COUNTRY. AND PERHAPS ONE REASON WHY WHEN THE PHILIPPINES LOOKED FOR A COUNTRY IN WHICH TO ESTABLISH ITS FIRST DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH THE SOCIALIST WORLD, THE PHILIPPINES CHOSE ROMANIA BECAUSE WE SHARE WITH ROMANIA THE MOST CULTURAL SIMILARITIES AMONG THE EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES BECAUSE LIKE THE PHILIPPINES, ROMANIA'S CULTURE IS LATIN. IN TODAY'S AGENDA WERE DISCUSSIONS ON ENERGY SECURITY, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND THE POSSIBLE PARTICIPATION OF ROMANIA IN THE REHABILITATION OF THE PHILIPPINE RAILWAYS SYSTEM. I CONVEYED TO THE PRESIDENT THE PHILIPPINES' KEEN INTEREST IN THESE SPECIFIC AREAS OF POSSIBLE COOPERATION. WE EXCHANGED VIEWS OF POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS IN OUR TWO COUNTRIES HAVING IN MIND THE COMMON CHALLENGES FACED BY OUR TWO NATIONS SUCH AS THE PROTECTION OF OUR REGAINED DEMOCRACIES AND ALSO THE PROMOTION OF GOOD GOVERNANCE. THE AGREEMENT THAT THE MEDIA WITNESSED TODAY IS A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING ON AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND THE PROMOTION OF AGRICULTURAL TRADE. THIS MEMORANDUM AIMS TO STRENGTHEN BILATERAL COOPERATION IN PLANT AND ANIMAL SCIENCES, BIOTECHNOLOGY, FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PROCESSING AND DAIRY DEVELOPMENT, AMONG OTHERS. THERE IS ALSO PROPOSED TO BE A COOPERATION ON TRADE TO BE SIGNED BETWEEN THE ROMANIAN FOREIGN TRADE CENTER AND THE BUREAU OF EXPORT TRADE PROMOTION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY. RELATIVE TO THIS, PRESIDENT ILIESCU HAS WITH HIM TODAY A DELEGATION OF 47 BUSINESSMEN WHO WILL BE MEETING WITH OUR OWN BUSINESSMEN DURING THIS VISIT. DURING OUR DISCUSSIONS WE NOTED THE COMMONALITIES SHARED BY THE PHILIPPINES AND ROMANIA I MENTIONED EARLIER, OUR LATIN HERITAGE AND CULTURE. THERE IS ALSO THE STRONG ADHERENCE TO DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES BECAUSE BOTH OUR COUNTRIES HAVE A SHARED EXPERIENCE IN THE TRANSITION FROM DICTATORSHIP TO DEMOCRACY. THESE TWO VERY IMPORTANT SIMILARITIES FORM PART OF THE STURDY ROOTS OF OUR RELATIONSHIP OVER THREE DECADES. PRESIDENT ILIESCU AND I ALSO AGREED TO MUTUALLY SUPPORT OUR CANDIDATURES FOR NON-PERMANENT SEATS IN THE UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL FOR 2004 AND 2005. THERE WILL BE FURTHER DISCUSSIONS ON BILATERAL COOPERATION IN MEETINGS THAT HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT WILL BE HAVING WITH SENATE PRESIDENT FRANKLIN DRILON, HOUSE SPEAKER JOSE DE VENECIA, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY PANTALEON ALVAREZ, AGRICULTURE SECRETARY LEONARDO MONTEMAYOR AND ENERGY SECRETARY PEREZ. OUR COUNTRY TAKES GREAT PRIDE IN WELCOMING TO MANILA A LATIN FRIEND FROM EASTERN EUROPE, A FRIEND IN DEMOCRACY -- PRESIDENT ILIESCU AND THE MEMBERS OF HIS DELEGATION -- OUR PARTNER FOR WORLD PEACE AND PROGRESS ACROSS THE GATEWAYS OF ASIA AND EASTERN EUROPE. THANK YOU. |