19 February 2004 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert was in Singapore for a day late last week for a continuing swing of the ASEAN countries, carrying on the tradition to make calls on her ASEAN counterparts upon being appointed as Secretary for Foreign Affairs.

Secretary Albert met with Singapore Foreign Minister Prof. S. Jayukumar and during their meeting, both officials agreed that the Philippines and Singapore enjoy a very healthy political and economic relationship marked by close cooperation in various areas of mutual concern.

“Other opportunities for greater cooperation between the Philippines and Singapore will gather even greater momentum as soon as the Joint Working Committee for the Philippine-Singapore Action Plan (PSAP) is convened,” the Secretary said.

In their discussion, both officials also agreed that joint efforts both bilaterally and multilaterally in the fight against terrorism have led to the identification and neutralization of terrorist threats in the region.

The Secretary also took the occasion to call on Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong. During their meeting, the Secretary and Prime Minister Goh exchanged views on political developments in both countries, as well as key regional and international issues of mutual concern. In particular, Prime Minister Goh expressed interest in the upcoming national elections in the Philippines, including the institutionalization, for the first time, of absentee voting for overseas Filipinos.

“On the whole, my brief visit to the city-state was indeed an auspicious occasion to reaffirm our growing and mutually beneficial relations with Singapore,”  Secretary Albert said. – END