THIRD POLITICAL DIALOGUE BETWEEN RP, SWITZERLAND VOWS CLOSER PARTNERSHIP, MORE DYNAMIC COLLABORATION  

29 March 2007 — Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland Minerva Jean Falcon reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that the Third Political Dialogue between the Philippines and Switzerland held in Berne on 28 March 2007 pledged to further strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries, particularly in areas of political, economic, and cultural collaboration.  

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Erlinda F. Basilio, who headed the five-man Philippine Delegation, said “the Dialogue provided a continuous stream of open and sincere interaction between the two countries’ policy makers in the promotion of their peoples’ interests.”  

The Dialogue is a biennial event that first started in 2001, providing a regular, formal venue for the two countries to review and discuss the status of their bilateral relations, exchange views on areas of mutual concern or interest, explore further cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, tourism and cultural and scientific exchanges, and discuss the future direction of their relations.  

Among the subjects that were discussed in the Dialogue on 28 March that could directly benefit the Philippines were the promotion of Philippine products to Switzerland and the planned Swiss business mission to the Philippines during the third or fourth quarter of 2007, the Swiss Government’s interest to support technically and financially the Philippines’ project proposal for a nationwide information campaign on Federalism from 2007 to 2009, and Switzerland’s continued legal assistance to the Philippine Government’s efforts in the recovery of the Marcos assets.  

Ambassador Heidi Tagliavini, Head of the Swiss Delegation and Deputy State Secretary of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), and Undersecretary Basilio both underscored the importance of their countries’ closer partnership and commitment to remaining steadfast in supporting each other when faced with challenges of international scope such as the much-needed progressive reforms in the United Nations, issues on human rights and migration, globalization, the peaceful uses of the atom, and sustainable energy. They also affirmed the fact that if collaborative efforts on these areas are geared at the right time and at the right direction, their two countries and peoples could mutually and profoundly benefit from them.  

To this end, the continued close collaboration between the Philippine Embassy in Berne, headed by Ambassador Falcon, who was the Deputy Head of the Philippine Delegation during the Dialogue, and the Swiss FDFA will be as important as the closer partnership between the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs and the Swiss Embassy in Manila , headed by H. E. Ambassador Peter Sutter. END

/jay

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