Philippines urged to boost economic cooperation with Switzerland
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis has emphasised Switzerland's interests in strengthening cooperation with the Philippines, during a trip to the Southeast Asian country.
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis (Photo: the Swiss government portal)
Geneva (VNA) - Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis has emphasised Switzerland's interests in strengthening cooperation with the Philippines, during a trip to the Southeast Asian country.
Cassis visited the Philippines on February 8 as the last stop in his trip to Asia. He had talks with Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines Enrique Manalo on the same day.
According to the Swiss official, the Swiss Federal Council's 2023–26 strategy for Southeast Asia calls on Bern to strengthen and deepen relations with countries in the Southeast Asian region. Under this strategy, Switzerland needs to exploit the dynamism of Southeast Asia and, at the same time, contribute to supporting the handling of other issues.
Economic relations were also a focus of the discussion between the two officials. They agreed to make efforts to implement the free trade agreement between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the Philippines, which took effect in 2018.
Promoting peace is another concern in the relations between Switzerland and the Philippines. Manalo and Cassis discussed the possibility of Switzerland's continued contribution to peaceful development in the Philippines./.
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Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis (Photo: the Swiss government portal) 
