Malacañang Golf (MALAGO) Clubhouse, Malacañang Park, Manila
June 28, 2021

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte held a telephone call with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka at the Malacañang Golf (MALAGO) Clubhouse in Malacañang Park, Manila.

In their phone conversation, President Duterte reaffirmed the strong ties between the Philippines and Sri Lanka in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations. He conveyed the Philippine Government’s interest to further strengthen engagement with Sri Lanka in the United Nations (UN) on matters of common interest.

“Over the last six decades, we have pursued fruitful relations. We look forward to sustaining this and exploring further the full potential of our cooperative ties,” he said.

The President also expressed gratitude to the Government of Sri Lanka for its assistance in repatriating Filipinos amid the pandemic and for the safe return of Filipino seafarers in the MT New Diamond that caught fire in September 2020 off Sri Lanka’s eastern coast.

For his part, President Rajapaksa relayed his appreciation to the Philippines for the cooperation and mutual support between the two (2) countries in multilateral venues including the UN Human Rights.

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