On 28 May 2024, the first political consultations between the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of the Philippines took place in Riga. On the part of Latvia, the talks were chaired by Katarina Plātere, Head of the Bilateral Relations Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and on the part of the Philippines, by Maria Elena Palo Algabre, Assistant Secretary of Office of European Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At the consultations, the officials discussed the dynamics of bilateral relations. Further steps were mapped out for economic cooperation, especially in the field of information and communication technologies, trade in food and other commodities, as well as in education and science, culture and the promotion of people-to-people contacts. Recalling the heartfelt welcome extended to the Latvian national team last year in the World Cup hosted by the International Basketball Federation in Manila, Katarina Plātere said the Philippines basketball team is welcome to this year’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga in July.
Global and regional challenges were also addressed during the conversation. The diplomats agreed that Latvia and the Philippines were like-minded countries advocating for adherence to the principles of the UN Charter and a rules-based international order. Katarina Plātere commended the Philippines for its support for Ukraine in international organisations, notably the UN.
The heads of delegations affirmed their readiness to continue close cooperation in multilateral formats, notably in the area of Women, Peace and Security, which is one of the foreign policy priorities for both countries.
The partners welcomed the positive developments in the EU-Philippines relations and the EU’s Strategic Partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
During the visit, the Philippines delegation also visited the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence, delivered a lecture at Riga Stradiņš University, and met with representatives from Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital.
On 27 May, a Memorandum of Understanding on the Mechanism of Political Consultations was signed between the Foreign Services of Latvia and the Philippines.
