Philippines, Israel ink cooperation deal on environmental protection
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and Israel have signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in environmental protection that would pave the way for knowledge-sharing in disaster risk management and environmental preservation, among others.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and Israeli Foreign Minister Eliyahu Cohen, who is on a two-day visit to the Philippines, signed the deal.
The Philippines is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, with Pangasinan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Cagayan and Tarlac being considered the most at-risk according to The Cross Dependency Initiative.
READ: Philippine provinces among areas at most risk from climate damage
Through the new memorandum of cooperation, Israel and the Philippines will have opportunities to share practices in disaster risk management as well as the promotion and dissemination of environmental technologies.
Israel has been extending its expertise to Manila in terms of securing its water systems, from hosting knowledge exchange programs to the Israeli embassy donating water filtration units to typhoon-hit areas in December 2021. Israel is also working with the Philippines to modernize its agricultural sector.
“The relationship between the Philippines and Israel is a unique and enduring one, characterized by friendship, goodwill and strong people-to-people ties which predated the founding of the Israel state,” Manalo said during their bilateral meeting.
Glad to have welcomed @elicoh1 to Manila, the 1st visit by an Israeli Foreign Minister to PH since 1967. We discussed expanding cooperation in areas such as trade, defense, agriculture and people-to-people exchange, to further deepen our strong and historic ties @DFAPHL pic.twitter.com/ErcyQto8IK
— Enrique A. Manalo ???????? (@SecManalo) June 5, 2023
Ties between the two countries go back to when former President Manuel Quezon implemented the “Open Door Policy,” making the Philippines a safe haven for around 1,300 Jewish refugees who escaped the Nazi regime.
Cohen is the first Israeli foreign minister to take an official visit to the country since 1967.
In Manalo and Cohen’s meetings, the two leaders also discussed opportunities for further collaboration in trade and investment, tourism, defense and security, as well as science and technology.
The Philippines has also “emphasized the importance of promoting peace and stability” in discussions on the geopolitical environment in the Middle East and the rest of Asia.
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