Phl invites German president for state visit

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines has invited German President Joachim Gauck to visit the country, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

Philippine Ambassador to Germany Maria Cleofe Natividad said she met the President in the annual Federal President’s Information Travel to the Laender or states of Germany last Sept. 3 and conveyed the government’s invitation for him to visit the Philippines. 

During the reception hosted by Gauck at the state-owned vineyard palace, Schloss Wackerbarth, Natividad assured Gauck of the Philippines’ continued cooperation with Germany.

This year, Gauck traveled to the Free State of Saxony together with the heads of diplomatic missions in Germany. 

This is Gauck’s first information travel after being elected president in March 2012. 

The day trip started at the Berlin Tegel Military Airport, from where the heads of missions were flown to Dresden aboard the country’s special military aircraft.                                                         

They were welcomed by Stanislaw Tillich, Minister President of the Free State of Saxony.

The trip included a tour of the EADS Elbe aircraft works, manufacturer of the Airbus, and a visit to the Albertinum, a museum of modern art, the historical church, Frauenkirche, and state grammar school Schsische Landesgymnasium Sankt Afra.