On the occasion of the 40th anniversary establishment diplomatic relations between Russian Federation and Republic Philippines

Perfecto R. YASAI, Jr.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines

Four decades ago, the Philippines and Russia established diplomatic relations. Since then, our friendship has been strengthened, and the areas of cooperation have expanded. Both countries are among those who, by word and deed, support lasting peace around the world.

Relations between the Philippines and Russia have come a long way in their development since their establishment, and I am convinced that they will only strengthen in the future, because they are based on common values - respect for the sovereign equality of States and the rule of law.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to officially state that the Philippines is determined to seek, create and develop new areas of cooperation with Russia.

Although fate has decreed that there are huge distances between our countries, we have managed to sow the seeds of friendship, which we have been carefully cultivating all these years. We remain unwavering in our desire to maintain strong friendly relations with Russia. We have followed this line for the past four decades and will continue to develop this mutually enriching and fruitful relationship in the next 40 years and beyond.

DECISIVE STEPS TO ESTABLISH FRIENDLY RELATIONS

In 1976, following the historic visit of President Ferdinand Marcos to Moscow, Leningrad, Volgograd, and Tashkent, the Philippines established diplomatic relations with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, its obligations under bilateral agreements with the Philippines were assumed by the Russian Federation, which was officially recognized by the Philippines on December 28, 1991.

It can be said again and again that the friendship between the Philippines and Russia is built on a solid foundation of mutual respect and common interests.

COOPERATION IN THE PROVISION OF HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

I would like to mention the important pages of our joint history that were formed even before the official establishment of bilateral relations. What we are talking about - although few people know about it - is that from 1949 to 1953, about 6 thousand Russian emigrants of the first wave lived in the Philippines.

They were warmly received by the Philippines, which at that time was headed by President Elpidio Quirino. He believed that "freedom begets responsibility, and responsibility implies sacred obligations to humanity."

Russian refugees were settled on the island of Tubabao , one of the largest islands in the province of Samar in the south-eastern Visayas. They taught the local population to build schools, churches and hospitals and turned a refugee camp on Philippine soil into a real Russian city.

However, the Russian refugees were waiting for a new home. Since 1953, they began to emigrate to other countries - Australia, France and the United States. But they left their temporary "Philippine home"with gratitude in their hearts.

Both countries had no idea that so many years later the reciprocity of our friendship would be confirmed. After the devastating typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines in November 2013, Russia was among the first countries to come to the aid of typhoon victims in Samar Province and other regions. Indeed, history is cyclical, but this time the countries switched places, and the Philippines was rewarded with Russian mercy!

Taking into account such historical experience, we believe that the conclusion of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in providing assistance to citizens who find themselves in a conflict zone or other critical situation in third countries becomes particularly important. The conclusion of the agreement will not only allow for closer cooperation between our countries in responding to various crises, but will also strengthen bilateral relations in general.

SUCCESSFUL BILATERAL, REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

Needless to say, the Philippines and Russia have a warm and productive relationship, as evidenced by high-level visits, inter-parliamentary exchanges, regular political consultations, the conclusion of bilateral agreements, and the holding of various joint events at the bilateral, regional and international levels.

To date, three heads of the Republic of the Philippines have already expressed interest in Russia and visited this interesting country with a rich culture.

After the visit of President Ferdinand Marcos in 1976, the official establishment of diplomatic relations took place. The visit of President Fidel V. Ramos in 1997 was marked by the signing of a joint Philippine-Russian declaration. Then, in 2009, Russia was visited by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who arrived at the invitation of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev-

va. This visit was timed to coincide with the 13th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

Russia responded with state visits to the Philippines by two prime ministers. Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov paid an official visit to the Philippines on July 29, 1998, and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev arrived in November 2015 to participate in the APEC summit. These high-level visits allowed the Philippines and Russia to reaffirm their commitment to deepening and expanding cooperation in various fields.

In recent years, inter-parliamentary exchanges between the Philippines and Russia have become an integral element of cooperation between the two countries. Just last year, members of the Philippine House of Representatives visited Russia several times, where they discussed issues of improving transport links and promoting cooperation in the tourism sector. Cooperation between the legislative bodies of our countries received a strong boost after the visit of the Chairman of the Federation Council of Russia Valentina Matviyenko to the Philippines in November 2014. The return visit of Philippine Senate President Franklin M. Drilon to Russia a year later, in October 2015, was a clear indication of the strengthening of ties between the Philippines and Russia.

Recently, in February 2016, at the invitation of Senator Andrey Klimov, Senator Aquilino Pimentel III visited Vladivostok to discuss cooperation in the mining industry. Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Congress of the Republic of the Philippines Giorgidi B. Aggabao, who represented the Philippines at the first meeting of Speakers of Eurasian parliaments in Moscow in April 2016, spoke about the importance that Philippine legislators attach to our relations, who noted the important role of Philippine legislators in developing a foreign policy strategy.

Regular political consultations between the Philippines and Russia have repeatedly shown that the two countries have similar or complementary views on key issues of cooperation.

On May 22, 2014, the ninth Philippine-Russian political consultations were held in Moscow, during which Deputy Foreign Ministers Igor Morgulov and Evan P. Garcia met. The participants in these consultations emphasized the importance of the two-State road map.-

bilateral exchanges and constructive cooperation between the Philippines and Russia on regional and international platforms. The important role of the Philippines as a partner of Russia in ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific region as a whole was also noted.

It seems natural that events to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries will be based on the results of the ninth and tenth Philippine-Russian political consultations. The latter will be held in the Philippines later this year.

The Philippines and Russia have signed agreements in the areas of trade and investment, arts and culture, inter-parliamentary cooperation, defense and security, to name just a few.

The friendly negotiations and subsequent signing of various bilateral agreements between the Philippines and Russia attest to the friendly and harmonious relations that we have been building and steadily developing over the past 40 years. By a happy coincidence, our countries have already signed more than 40 bilateral agreements covering a wide range of issues, which reflects the diversity and scope of our cooperation.

In the area of stimulating economic growth as a prerequisite for ensuring stability and prosperity in the world, our countries consistently adhere to the policy of an open, predictable, transparent environment based on rules.

In this regard, the Philippines looks forward to the entry into force of the Agreement on the establishment of the Joint Philippine-Russian Commission for Trade and Economic Cooperation, which was signed at the APEC Leaders ' Summit in November 2015. The agreement will become an important tool for developing and strengthening trade relations between the two countries, and the joint commission will become a platform for identifying those areas and sectors in which it is possible to expand bilateral trade.

The Philippines highly appreciates Russia's contribution to the region's efforts to ensure further economic growth, development and prosperity of our countries, which was highlighted by Russia's active participation in the APEC Leaders ' Summit in 2015. This demonstrated Russia's strong support for an inclusive economy.

The Philippines and Russia are also working together to promote regional cooperation within the framework of the ASEAN Partnership -

Russia. By the way, this year marks not only the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Russia, but also the 20th anniversary of the ASEAN-Russia Dialogue partnership.

In this regard, the Philippines would like to congratulate Russia on the successful hosting of the ASEAN - Russia Anniversary Summit in Sochi, which marked two decades of fruitful cooperation and demonstrated the commitment of both ASEAN and Russia to develop the future course of our cooperation.

Joint commitments are reflected in the final documents of the jubilee summit:

1. The ASEAN-Russia Comprehensive Action Plan for Development of Cooperation for the period 2016-2020, which contains specific measures to be taken by both sides in order to further deepen and expand cooperation in the areas of political security, economy, society, culture, as well as for development in the next five years;

2. Report of the ASEAN-Russia Panel of Eminent Persons "Russia-ASEAN: Looking to the Future for a Multi-faceted Strategic Partnership", which contains a number of recommendations for bringing the ASEAN-Russia partnership to a qualitatively new level;

3. The Sochi Declaration "Towards Mutually Beneficial Strategic Partnership", adopted by the leaders of the ASEAN and Russia countries, embodies our mutual desire to strengthen the ASEAN - Russia dialogue partnership and expand cooperation in the fields of political security, economy, society and culture.

Over the past 20 years, the Philippines and Russia have sought to address international issues through instruments such as the East Asia Summit (EAC), the ASEAN Regional Security Forum (ARF), the ASEAN Post - Ministerial Conferences, and the ASEAN Defense Ministers ' Meeting of Dialogue Partners ("SMOA-plus"). It is known that the Philippines supported Russia's membership in the East Asia Summit in 2011.

Moreover, as a result of the Philippines ' work as a coordinator of the ASEAN-Russia Dialogue Partnership (2006-2009), the ASEAN Center at MGIMO was opened in 2010. This was an important step, as the ASEAN Center aims to promote the dissemination of information about the ASEAN - Russia dialogue partnership by organizing events that promote interpersonal relations, and

as well as exchanges in the field of science and culture between Russia and the countries that are members of the Association.

The Philippines is convinced that Russia's success in working together with the ASEAN countries is based on respecting and preserving the central position of ASEAN in the development of the security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region.

MOVING FORWARD

The Philippines cordially welcomes Russia's support for the 2017 Philippine Presidency of ASEAN, which is particularly significant as this year marks the 50th anniversary of ASEAN's establishment. The Philippines and Russia will be able to launch joint projects and organize joint events within the framework of the ASEAN - Russia dialogue partnership in various fields.

Cooperation in science, technology and R & D between the Philippines and Russia is an untapped potential in our relations that may one day play a strengthening role. As Minister of Science and Technology Mario Montejo said in an interview at the ASEAN - Russia Anniversary Summit, the Philippines is ready to lead the creation of a network of scientists and researchers from Russia and ASEAN countries, which will bring together the best minds of governments, research institutions and the private sector to conduct joint research and development.

The Philippines is also interested in hosting the Fifth ASEAN - Russia Youth Summit next year. Given that the theme of the summit will be innovation, it is expected that the ASEAN - Russia Youth Summit will attract young and energetic start-up entrepreneurs from Russia and ASEAN countries. Such international exchanges between young entrepreneurs will promote closer cooperation and strengthen ties between our peoples.

The Philippines participated in the recent informal meeting of the Defense Ministers of the Russian Federation and ASEAN member states, as well as the Fifth Moscow Conference on International Security in April 2016, where they discussed the possibility of strengthening defense and security cooperation between the Philippines and Russia. Chapter of the Philippine Republic-

legation, Deputy Minister of Defense Natalio K. Ecarma III stressed that Russia can be an important partner for the Philippines and the ASEAN countries in addressing both traditional and non-traditional security challenges.

The Philippines is open to cooperation with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on training and preparation for counterterrorism operations on an exchange basis. The Deputy Minister noted: "Russia's experience in the fight against terrorism and extremism both inside and outside the country could give us a fresh perspective on how to respond more effectively to such challenges."

Moreover, given its own experience in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, the Philippines recognizes that a timely and coordinated international response is paramount in saving lives. In this regard, we believe that there is a great potential for strengthening cooperation with Russia in the field of humanitarian assistance and emergency response and search and rescue operations.

RUSSIA'S ROLE IN MAINTAINING PEACE IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION

The Philippines also believes that Russia, with its international prestige and rich experience in conflict prevention and resolution, can make a significant contribution to maintaining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

One of the most urgent tasks in the Asia-Pacific region is to establish a stable, predictable and peaceful order at sea, especially in the South China Sea. The Philippines recognizes the importance of the South China Sea as one of the main arteries of global trade for the positive economic outlook of the Asia-Pacific region.

Thus, the countries consider the Asia-Pacific region as a strategic center of global economic growth. Trade of the countries of this region is carried out through the waters of the South China Sea. Thus, we all have a legitimate right to participate in the maintenance of peace and security in the region by peaceful means and in accordance with international law.

Our friendship has lasted for 40 years, filled with events. We realize that we are better and wiser than we were before.

At this historic moment, on behalf of the people of the Philippines, let me thank Russia and the Russian people for their friendship, assistance in strengthening mutual trust, and tireless search for common ground in our countries ' relations, as we defend peace and goodwill in our vulnerable but beautiful world.

words: Keywords Philippines, Russia, diplomatic relations, ASEAN, Asia-Pacific.

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