22 September 2005 – Ambassador Victoria S. Bataclan of the Philippine Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden, who has concurrent jurisdiction over Norway, reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that the Embassy – in cooperation with the Filipino organizations in Oslo, Norway – successfully held in Oslo the second regional Nordic-Baltic conference of Filipino organizations from 16 – 18 September 2005 that established a stronger community spirit among the Filipinos in the region and closer linkage with the Philippine Government’s program for peace and development.

Ambassador Bataclan said that the conference, known as the 2005 Pulong ng Bayan: Peace and Development for Philippine Progress, presented a distinguished panel of speakers from the government and non-government organization to an audience of around 100 participants representing some 25 Filipino organizations from all over the Nordic-Baltic region.

The Ambassador reported that the speakers shared insights on various topics of interest to the Philippines such as Norway’s important role in the conflict resolution and peace-building efforts in the Philippines, the employment of foreign professional workers in the region, entrepreneurship and business opportunities for overseas Filipino investors, the significance of migrant remittances to global and national economies, and prospects for partnership of government and the community in promoting Philippine tourism.

In her keynote address, Ambassador Bataclan underscored the value of maintaining harmony and unity in the community in the pursuit of the common aspiration for peace and development in the Philippines.  She enjoined the participants to take part in the task of “building our nation through the ideals of bayanihan and love of country.”

The Ambassador said that he participants expressed their desire to push for the resumption of the stalled peace talks between the Philippine Government and the National Democratic Front, and signified their intention to dialogue with both Panels.

Ambassador Bataclan added that the Conference also secured an assurance from a Norwegian businessman to look closely into the foundry industry in the Philippines with a view to a possible investment in an export-processing zone in the country.  Possible investment schemes for second-generation Filipinos in the region, comprised mostly of young entrepreneurs, were also discussed in the Conference.

The Ambassador further reported that next year’s regional conference will be hosted by the Filipino community in Helsinki, Finland, in September 2006 to coincide the expected visit of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and a high-level delegation in connection with the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Finland on 14 – 15 September 2006.  END