1st UK-Philippines Maritime Dialogue Press Statement
The UK and the Philippines successfully concluded their first Maritime Dialogue on February 07, 2023 in Diamond Hotel, Manila.
Committing to ‘aksyon agad’ (immediate action) in scoping a wide range of maritime cooperation areas, the UK and the Philippines successfully concluded their first Maritime Dialogue on February 07, 2023, in Diamond Hotel, Manila.
Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office Legal Director Andrew Murdoch and Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Maria Angela Ponce led the Dialogue setting out priorities and ways forward in addressing shared challenges in the maritime space.
The discussions covered maritime policy coordination and developments in maritime law, marine environment conservation and climate action, maritime law and governance, and developments in regional and multilateral fora.
Both sides recognised the importance of having discussions on cross-cutting issues of legal, security, environment, and governance. Assistant Secretary Ponce said:
This full-day session shows the breadth and scope of what we have in terms of commonalities and approaches to addressing common challenges but also what we can do to expand the scope of cooperation.
Legal Director Andy Murdoch highlighted how rich the conversations were given both the Philippines and the UK are both maritime nations:
That’s the case with genuine maritime nations –nations with a real history in the sea– over centuries, we’ve had the industry as part of our culture and we have a genuine interest. And I think the expertise has shown today listening to your delegates.
Ambassador Laure Beaufils added:
There’s so much value in having this conversation, sharing notes, and understanding each other’s perspectives. There’s a lot of opportunity to grow from each other’s experiences –that’s really important and is an end in itself.
The Dialogue was established as a platform to exchange views and discuss future opportunities for cooperation on maritime. The next Dialogue will be chaired by the UK in London in 2024.