DFA chief back-to-back visits to boost ties with Malaysia, Thailand

Metro Manila, Philippines — The country will boost ties with two southeast Asian neighbors in back-to-back visits of the foreign affairs secretary visits this week, according to a statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

Secretary Enrique Manalo is bound for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the 8th Philippines-Malaysia Joint Commission Meeting (JCM), where he will meet with his counterpart Dato' Seri Utama Haji Mohamad Bin Haji Hasan.

The JCM is a platform to review the progress of bilateral cooperation since the last meeting held in Manila in 2011.

“During the JCM, the secretary and the foreign minister will discuss matters of mutual interest to both countries and the broader Southeast Asian region,” the DFA said in a statement.

Manalo will attend a diplomatic reception hosted by the Philippine embassy in Kuala Lumpur to celebrate six decades of bilateral relations.

He will proceed to Thailand on Oct. 18 for an official visit at the invitation of Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa. The two will hold a bilateral meeting and co-chair the ministerial meeting of the 6th Philippines-Thailand Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation.

Established in 1992, the mechanism facilitates cooperation on bilateral and regional concerns.

The visit also commemorates the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties under the theme, “Moving forward to a new era of closer friendship and common prosperity.”