Vice-Foreign Minister Dr. William Izarra of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ;
Guests;
Friends;

Distance has never been an impediment to genuine friendship.  If at all, distance serves as an impetus for even warmer relations between two friends.

That is why I am very pleased to welcome to the Philippines our friends Dr. William Izarra, the members of his delegation and the newly arrived officers of the Venezuelan Embassy, Señores Manuel Vicente Perez Iturbe and Jorge Delgado, who will be at the helm of the Venezuelan post in Manila for the next two or three years.

Your presence is significant as it articulates the desire and commitment of both the Philippines and Venezuela to strengthen the bonds of friendship and cooperation formally established in August 27, 1968.

Exactly 37 years and five days since that auspicious occasion, our countries continue to enjoy flourishing bilateral relations.

I wish to note that Venezuela is the Philippines’ 5th leading partner in South America in terms of trade, with Philippine exports surging from US$ 1.6 million in 2003 to nearly US$ 38 million in 2004.  We, of course, look forward to the further intensification of Philippine-Venezuela trade relations as we seek more opportunities for collaboration.  Of particular interest to the Philippines is exploring with Venezuela possible partnerships in both energy and power.

The Philippines and Venezuela also continue to work together to achieve our shared vision of a more stable and progressive world in various political multilateral fora.  We recognize Venezuela as a strong and resonant voice for the developing world in the United Nations and other international organizations.

We support Venezuela’s continued expression of its vision of equitable global development.  We are hopeful Venezuela will utilize its leading voice and natural resources to move forward the shared goals of the developing world.

The Philippines and Venezuela are likewise further deepening relationship at the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC).  Together with all 32 FEALAC member countries, we are opening up new frontiers of trans-Pacific cooperation, most recently in the fields of science and technology, education, politics and culture.  Collaborative works in these areas are important building blocks needed to bridge the Asian and Latin American continents and bring our peoples closer together.

Today, we mark a watershed moment as we bring the peoples of the Philippines and Venezuela even closer with the signing of two Memoranda of Understanding, one on the establishment of a bilateral consultation mechanism; another on cooperation between our two diplomatic institutes.

With the formalization of our consultation processes, we aim to further intensify and expand bilateral relations on various fronts.  With the establishment of a linkage program between the Foreign Service Institute and Pedro Gual, we seek to enhance their respective programs of study, build the capacities of our foreign service programs and, most importantly, create more meaningful bonds of friendship between our two peoples.

The Philippines values its friendship with Venezuela, which is based on the spirit of kinship:  We share a common history, we share an Hispanic heritage, and share similar aspirations for our peoples.

It is not surprising then that today, as friends, we cherish each other’s hopes for the world and are kind to each other’s dreams.

On this note, may I invite Your Excellencies, guests, and friends to a toast:

To the continued good health and success of President Hugo Chavez;

To the continued good health and success of Vice-Minister Dr. William Izarra;

To the prosperity of the Venezuelan people;

To the enduring ties of friendship between the Philippines and Venezuela!

As we say here in the Philippines, “Mabuhay!”

END