Your Excellency Dinh Tich, Ambassador of Vietnam to the Philippines;
The Papal Nuncio and Dean of Diplomatic Corps His Excellency Monsignor Antonio Franco;
Excellencies of the diplomatic and consular corps;
Friends.

On behalf of Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and the Filipino people, I extend my warmest congratulations to the Government and people of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam as they celebrate the 60th anniversary of their independence.

A 60 year anniversary is a landmark whose significance is rightly expressed in the diamond.  This brilliant gemstone has come to symbolize sterling achievements and the triumph of the human spirit in the face of tremendous challenges.

Tonight, we pay tribute to Vietnam, the Philippines’ neighbor, long-time friend and active partner.

I am pleased to note the healthy and flourishing state of our relations with Vietnam, especially in the areas of maritime cooperation, trade and investment and people-to-people exchanges.

Just recently, we conducted the Joint Oceanographic and Marine Scientific Research Expedition in the South China Sea and joined the ASEAN-China Joint Working Group on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the China Sea.

These cooperative efforts articulate the abiding commitment of the Philippines, Vietnam and other parties-in-interest to transform a potentially sensitive maritime area into a zone of cooperation, peace and development for the mutual benefit of our region’s peoples.

We are confident that growth in these areas will be sustained as the Philippines and Vietnam continue to explore, open up and develop prospects for trade and investment.

The Philippines and Vietnam continue to foster deeper understanding and learn from each other’s valuable experiences with our people-to-people exchanges.  The visit of 15 justices and other officials of the Supreme People’s Court of Vietnam to the Philippines in January this year is one such initiative.

We are positive that the Philippines and Vietnam will seek additional opportunities to forge more meaningful relations between our peoples at a more personal level.

I personally look forward to the 4th Meeting of our Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation, which I will co-chair this November in Hanoi.

As we mark the 60th anniversary of Vietnam’s independence today, we look back on the achievements of our esteemed neighbor, partner and brother.  We also look forward to a future that holds even brighter prospects for Vietnam, the Philippines and the region.

On this note, may I now invite Your Excellencies to a toast:

To the good health and continued success of Their Excellencies President Tran Duc Luong and Prime Minister Phan Van Khai;

To the good health and continued success of Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo;

To the good health and continued success of Ambassador Dinh Tich;

To the continued prosperity of the people of Vietnam; and,

To the enduring ties of friendship between the Philippines and Vietnam.

Mabuhay!

END