PHILIPPINE EMBASSY LEADS CELEBRATION OF 30 YEARS OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN THE PHILIPPINES AND LITHUANIA
Clockwise, from top right: Mrs. Julia Netta Vildzius Peña, Honorary Consul of Lithuania in Manila; H.E. Archbishop Petar Rajič, Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See to Lithuania; H.E. Leah M. Basinang-Ruiz, Philippine Ambassador to Lithuania; Lithuanian Foreign Ministry officials Ms. Asta Slavinskaitė, Ambassador Audrius Brüzga (Director of the Latin America, Africa, Asia and Pacific Department), and Mr. Gediminas Danisas; and Ms. Alena Borra, First Secretary and Consul of the Philippine Embassy.
15 December 2021 - The Philippine Embassy in Warsaw led the commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the Republic of the Philippines and the Republic of Lithuania today by hosting a virtual get-together with Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry officials and special guests.
H.E. Leah M. Basinang-Ruiz, the Philippines’ non-resident Ambassador to Lithuania, noted in her welcoming remarks that the friendship and ties between the Philippines and Lithuania have grown significantly through the years despite the considerable distance which separates the two countries, but added, “It is an accepted fact that when we look back at how we began, and how we have progressed through the years, we also come to realize that we need to do more to strengthen and expand our relationship… We see this celebration as giving us a fresh impetus to find new avenues to achieve this goal in the years to come.”
The celebration featured special messages from Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. and Lithuania’s Vice Foreign Minister Mantas Adomėnas.
“There is opportunity to strengthen ties across sectors as Lithuania looks to engage closer with non-traditional partners in the Asia Pacific. The Philippines sees a like-minded country in Lithuania. We both have an interest in promoting democratic values, human rights, and the rule of law in international relations,” Secretary Locsin stated in his message for the milestone anniversary.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. delivers a special message for the 30th year of PH-Lithuania diplomatic relations.
Vice Minister Mantas Adomėnas meanwhile emphasized the potential for deeper economic cooperation: “Our cooperation in the economic field has a lot of untapped potential, I see possibilities for cooperation especially in high tech industries as well as food products, electronic, machinery, chemicals, etc. Lithuania and the Philippines could make a good use of the Agreement on Cooperation in Science and Technologies encouraged by academic and cultural exchanges and of course, tourism.”
Lithuanian Vice Foreign Minister Mantas Adomėnas delivers a special message for the milestone anniversary.
Special guests who delivered greetings include H.E. Archbishop Petar Rajič, Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See to Lithuania and the Dean of Lithuania’s Diplomatic Corps, and Mrs. Julia Netta Vildzius Peña, Honorary Consul of Lithuania in Manila.
Mr. Audrius Brüzga, Director of the Latin America, Africa, Asia and Pacific Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, concluded the event by saying that both sides should be bold and brave to look ahead in order to take cooperation to a new level: “We need something of a 2.0 version to motivate and inspire our people to come together and work together in many fields of our common interest, so that 30 years from now we could probably celebrate another major milestone in our relations.”
He added, “In Lithuania, we are prepared to take such a big leap forward.. There will be more of Lithuania in the Philippines, in other ASEAN countries, and in the broader Indo-Pacific area.”
The video of the event may be viewed at the Embassy’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_0YVWTeUtE) and official Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/PHLinPoland/). END
