Manila, 3 February – Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert leaves today for Bali to attend the Regional Ministerial Meeting on Counter-Terrorism co-chaired by Indonesia and Australia from 3-5 February.  The Secretary’s participation in the meeting is part of her five-day official trip that also includes visits to Jakarta and Singapore from 6-7 February.

“The countries in East Asia have recognized fully the dangers posed by terrorism to their economies and to regional stability and are taking concrete steps to confront this scourge, including cooperating in the areas of capacity building, training activities, information sharing and upgrading the expertise of their law enforcement agencies,” the Secretary said.  “The Bali ministerial meeting is part of this continuing process,” she added.

In Bali, Secretary Albert is expected to deliver a statement on Regional Counter-terrorism Response, highlighting the major role played by the Philippines in the fight against terrorism. The Secretary’s statement will delve on the efforts on counter-terrorism being undertaken by the member countries of ASEAN, APEC, and the ASEAN Regional Forum.  She will also highlight the successes achieved by the Philippines in its  counter- terrorism campaign.

At the sidelines of the Bali ministerial meeting, Secretary Albert will meet with Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and New Zealand Foreign Minister Phil Goff to discuss bilateral concerns and other issues.

From Bali, Secretary Albert will proceed to Jakarta to start her traditional round of courtesy calls on her ASEAN counterparts. She will meet with Foreign Minister Noer Hassan Wirayuda and call on President Megawati Soekarnoputri in Jakarta.

In Singapore, Secretary Albert will meet with Foreign Minister S. Jayakumar and Prime Minister Go Chok Tong to discuss a broad range of bilateral issues between the Philippines and Singapore.

“My visits to Indonesia and Singapore are part of our continuing effort to strengthen ties with our neighbors. I am confident that these visits will lead to an increase in bilateral exchanges with these countries as well as greater cooperation with the Philippines in various areas of mutual interest,” she said. END