Mongolian foreign minister to visit Manila this week

THE FOREIGN Minister of Mongolia will be in the Philippines this week for an official visit, with plans to deepen relations between the Manila and Ulaanbaatar, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

In a statement on Sunday, the DFA said that Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique A. Manalo is set to meet with Mongolian Foreign Minister Battsetseg Batmunkh on May 19 to 20.

The two envoys “will hold a bilateral meeting to review the state of Philippines-Mongolia relations to chart ways forward to further enhance the two countries’ diplomatic relations, which have entered their sixth decade.”

The agency added that the two officials are also set to “discuss strategic issues of mutual concern.”

She is also scheduled to conduct a courtesy meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and Senate President Francis “Chiz” G. Escudero during her visit.

In a separate statement, Mongolia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it seeks to expand and develop relations and cooperation with the Philippines, which it described as “an influential member of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).”

The meeting is expected to “stimulate political dialogue, expand cooperation between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, and exchange views on issues of mutual interest in international and regional cooperation.”

Ms. Battsetseg’s visit to the Philippines marks the first official visit by a Mongolian foreign minister to the country since 1984.

“It reciprocates Secretary Manalo’s trip to Ulaanbaatar on August 4 to 5, 2024, which marked the first official visit by a Philippine Foreign Secretary to Mongolia,” the DFA added.

In October, last year, Mongolia’s Deputy Prime Minister Sainbuyan Amarsaikhan, where he represented his country during the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction

The Philippines and Mongolia marked the 50-year anniversary of the establishment of their bilateral relations in 2023. — Adrian H. Halili