Philippines to open embassy in Colombia

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is set to open its embassy in Colombia, signaling the country’s commitment to enhance relations with Latin America, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

The Philippines and Colombia held their sixth Bilateral Consultation Meeting (BCM) in Manila on Aug. 14.

DFA Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs Ma. Theresa Lazaro, together with her Colombian counterpart, Vice Foreign Minister Jorge Rojas Rodriguez, co-chaired and led their respective delegations at the meeting.

The two sides held comprehensive discussions on an agenda that touched on bilateral cooperation in the peace process, trade relations, regional and global developments, tourism and cooperation in the maritime sphere.

The DFA said this year’s BCM is made more significant as the Philippines prepares to open the Philippine embassy in Bogota. Upon its opening, it will be the fifth Philippine embassy in Latin America, and only the second ASEAN embassy in Colombia, after Indonesia.