Embassy of the Philippines in Canberra, Australia
February 26, 2024
“The visit of the President to Australia is historic. I say that because he will be the first Philippine President to address the Australian Federal Parliament,” says Ambassador Ma. Hellen De La Vega of the Embassy of the Philippines in Canberra as she emphasizes the significance of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s State Visit to Australia scheduled on February 28 to 29, 2024.
The President’s anticipated address to the Australian Parliament is an occasion previously accorded to fellow world leaders such as United States of America (USA) Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, Presidents Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China, Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan and President Joko Widodo of Indonesia.
President Marcos Jr. is set to discuss the vision and future of the Philippines-Australia Strategic Partnership.
“He’s coming at the time when the region needs collective cooperation and resiliency to address what’s happening in terms of the challenges, not just in the political or defense and security aspect, but even in the economic or even in transnational concerns such as climate change, cybersecurity,” adds the Ambassador.
Since the establishment of formal relations in 1946, the Philippines and Australia have worked closely together to foster a partnership grounded on a commitment to peace, stability and prosperity. In September 2023, President Marcos Jr. and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a Joint Declaration elevating the Philippines-Australia relations from a Comprehensive Partnership to a Strategic Partnership, allowing the two countries to expand cooperation in various areas.
The President’s state visit aims to further strengthen the existing bonds of cooperation between the Philippines and Australia, and to enable discussions for new areas of cooperation as both countries look forward to celebrating 78 years of diplomatic relations later this year.
During the interview, Ambassador De La Vega also sheds light on the Chief Executive’s forthcoming participation in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – Australia Special Summit next week. She also discusses the significant contributions of some 408,000 Filipinos in Australia, including Australians of Filipino descent.
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