Duterte welcomes envoys from Serbia, South Korea, Tanzania

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte welcomed last Wednesday the newly appointed ambassadors of Serbia, South Korea and Tanzania, receiving their credentials at Malacañang.

The Palace said all three envoys expressed their positive outlook for the Philippines and batted for better diplomatic relations with the country. They stressed that they are willing to work with the Philippine government for stronger ties.

In response, Duterte said that South Korea, Tanzania and Serbia are welcomed as good allies of the country, noting that the Philippines is open to mutual and good working bilateral relations with the three countries.

Han Dong-man, South Korea’s former minister of foreign affairs and director-general for international economic affairs, is the new envoy of South Korea.

During the meeting with Duterte last Wednesday, Ambassador Han was joined by his spouse Jang Sookyung, Minister and Consul General Kwon Won-jik, Minister Counsellors Park Younghyo and Kyun Jongho, First Secretary Song Areum and Second Secretary Lim Jeongsub.

Han has more than 20 years of experience in representing Korea in the areas of policy planning, trade issues and public relations, the Palace said. He has held executive positions in the Korean embassy in the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States and Algeria.

Duterte also received the credentials of Tanzania’s new ambassador, Ramadhani Kitwana-Dau.

Before his post in Manila, Dau was Tanzania’s envoy to Malaysia and was his country’s National Social Security Fund director general.

Serbia, meanwhile, assigned Slobodan Marinkovic as its new envoy.

Prior to his designation here, Marinkovic served as ambassador to Vietnam, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia and Singapore. He also served as ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Marinkovic also worked as medical professor at Evropski Univerzitet in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was with his wife Mira, and Serbia’s Honorary Consul Joaquin Jack Rodriguez during the presentation of credentials.

The President was joined by Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and presidential spokesman Harry Roque.

Prior to the presentation of their credentials to the President, the three new ambassadors were accorded arrival honors at the Kalayaan grounds followed by the signing of the guest book at the President’s Hall anteroom.

Japan relations

President Duterte welcomes Japan special adviser for foreign affairs Katsuyuki Kawai during a courtesy call at Malacañang on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Philippines and Japan have affirmed close bilateral relations following the courtesy call of Katsuyuki Kawai, foreign affairs special adviser of Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, at Malacañang last Wednesday.

Amid concerns over a statue for comfort women that was erected in Manila recently, spokesman Roque said the Japanese Prime Minister has expressed, through his trusted aide, his continuing respect for and support to Duterte.

Abe also conveyed anew the importance placed by Japan on further expanding and deepening relations with the Philippines and support to the country’s ongoing programs, including counterterrorism, “build build build” and Marawi rehabilitation.

“(Japan also) stressed further the value of strategic partnership of Japan and Philippines and in pursuing shared goals for the region,” Roque said, quoting Kawai.

For his part, Duterte reaffirmed the importance of the strategic partnership of both countries and the need to further deepen and expand cooperation on fields of mutual importance.

He also thanked Japan for its support to the security and development agenda of the Philippines.

Just last Tuesday, Duterte, who has hosted Abe during his official visit in Manila and in Davao, expressed gratitude to the government’s Japanese partners, particularly the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), for funding the P10.8-billion satellite assisted air traffic system at the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

The project allows the sending of satellite signal to aircraft transponders and by using transponder transmissions to determine precise locations of aircraft in flight.

Prior to this, Japan donated 26 units of Mitsubishi patrol vehicles and helped in the inauguration of a new building for the regional crime laboratory office in Region 11. Duterte witnessed the event in Davao last weekend.

Japan Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Seiko Noda also recently witnessed the ceremonial switch-on of the Digital Terrestrial TV Broadcasting, Emergency Broadcast System and data-casting, which was adopted by the government-run PTV4.

The Japanese media reported that Noda had expressed Japan’s concerns about the erected statue for comfort women during her courtesy call on Duterte.

However, the Palace has downplayed the issue, with Roque saying that Malacañang was not part of the plan to erect the statue.