PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. is pushing to strengthen the country’s bilateral relations with Belgium with a new Joint Action Plan.
Marcos said he will meet with King Philippe of Belgium this week to discuss areas where both countries could further cooperate.
“We look forward to signing a Philippines-Belgium Joint Plan of Action for 2023 to 2027 that could further enhance bilateral cooperation, allow our two countries to discuss regional and global issues of mutual concern,” Marcos said during his meeting with the Filipino community on Sunday.
He noted the country’s relationship with Belgium in the last 76 years remains strong and vibrant partly due to the good reputation of Filipinos based in the Northwestern European country.
“Our ties with Belgium continue to flourish, not only because of G2G or government-to-government contracts but because of the strong interpersonal linkages of the Filipino community with Belgians and other expatriates, whether through employment or marriage and family ties,” Marcos said.
To help improve government services for Filipinos residing in Belgium and other countries in Europe, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan V. Ople said they are considering the deployment of additional labor attachments in the said continent.
“So, we are now studying [in] which areas in Europe we can add [labor attachments],” Ople said in Filipino.
Marcos and some members of his Cabinet are currently in Brussels, Belgium to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-European Union (ASEAN-EU) commemorative summit.
He said the summit is expected to foster cooperation between the regional blocs in the areas of the economy, politics, security, culture and development.
During his three-day trip in Brussels, the President will also attend the ASEAN-EU business summit and also hold bilateral talks with Estonia, the Czech Republic, Spain, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Finland, the Netherlands and the EU.
“We do this with the leaders of several EU countries and institutions with the aim of further enhancing bilateral relations and bringing more investments to the country,” Marcos said.