Philippines vows to resolve maritime dispute with Palau

MANILA, Philippines — Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. highlighted the Philippines’ commitment to resolving the pending maritime boundaries dispute with Palau.

Locsin met with Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. on the sidelines of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Wednesday.

The Philippines’ top diplomat and Whipps discussed ways to strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries, including on trade, technical, educational and maritime cooperation.

The Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York said Locsin conveyed the “Philippines’ commitment to resolving the pending maritime boundaries dispute with Palau to which President Whipps expressed their eagerness in restarting such talks that were delayed due to the pandemic.”

Palau is a small archipelagic state, although it has not declared archipelagic baselines, lying less than 400 nautical miles southeast of the Philippine island of Mindanao. Both countries claim an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) 200 nautical miles wide.

The exact boundaries of Palau and the Philippines remain to be defined by delimitation talks. A final agreement has not been made regarding the issue. The two countries share a maritime border with Palau situated southeast of the Philippines.

Locsin thanked Whipps for the kind hosting by Palau of Filipinos, also for including Filipinos in their national COVID-19 response and recovery efforts. Around 3,000 Filipinos are living and working in Palau, which make up around 20 percent of its population.

Whipps told Locsin that the 7th Our Ocean Conference, originally scheduled to take place in 2020, will now be held in person in Koror, Palau on Feb. 16 to 17, 2022. He invited the Philippines to participate in the conference at the highest level possible.

Locsin affirmed the support of the Philippines for Palau’s hosting of the conference, detailing shared interests and concerns as island countries.

Phl, Hungary sign agreements

The Philippines and Hungary signed yesterday an agreement on nuclear education that will make accessible high quality nuclear education and professional training for Filipinos.

Locsin met with Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó of Hungary on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UNGA.

During the bilateral meeting at the Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York, Locsin and Szijjártó signed another agreement to strengthen cooperation in the field of higher education, particularly in diplomatic training.

The agreement on nuclear education will facilitate the setting up of long-term cooperation in the nuclear field between the two countries. The agreement on diplomatic training will encourage participation of diplomats in each other’s training, as well as the exchange of academics, speakers and experts.

“The signing of the agreements is the latest milestone in the increasingly robust state of bilateral relations between the Philippines and Hungary, which will mark its 50th year in 2023,” the Philippine Mission to the UN in New York said.

Locsin and Szijjártó also discussed the political, financial and economic relations between the two countries, including the joint economic committee in October, candidatures to international organizations, and Covid-19 vaccines and the recognition of vaccination certificates.

Locsin also thanked Szijjártó for being excellent hosts to a small but growing Filipino community in Hungary. There are over 700 Filipinos working in Hungary.

Envoy underscores alliances

The Philippines underscored yesterday the alliances with like-minded countries that believe in the rule of law as talks for a binding Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) have “not really gone very far.”

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said alliances have become very important more than ever.

“All nations especially around the area and the claimants follow a COC that we are trying to push but it has not really gone very far so it is important that we have alliances with like-minded people who feel or believe in the rule of law,” Romualdez said during a virtual forum.

“This alliance is very important mainly because it sends a signal to many countries that the freedom of the sea or the freedom of navigation is very clear and that no one country can actually claim that they own this area or not,” he said.

On Tuesday, the Philippines expressed support to the establishment of an enhanced trilateral security alliance called “AUKUS” – Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States to work together to safeguard peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and boost security deterrence against China in the region.

Locsin said the security pact formed by the three countries will further enhance Australia’s military capacity, noting its proximity in Southeast Asia to respond quickly to threats and challenges in the region.

Former foreign secretary Albert del Rosario had warned that China intends to use the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea to legitimize its illegal claim, saying the COC is a “double-edged sword.”