Budrys: Lithuania will expand cooperation with the Philippines and the Southeast Asian regionActivities of the Minister of Foreign AffairsMultilateral RelationsNews of the Ministry

On 14 February, on the margins of the Munich Security Conference, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Kęstutis Budrys, met with Theresa Lazaro, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines.

The Foreign Ministers of Lithuania and the Philippines discussed bilateral cooperation in the fields of economics, high-tech, security and defence, human and cultural relations.

"We appreciate the Philippines' strong position in defending the law-based international order. On this issue, we are strong like-minded partners. We want to strengthen political dialogue with the Philippines, as well as to develop opportunities for mutually beneficial economic cooperation," said Budrys.

The meeting focused on Lithuania's relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which this year is chaired by the Philippines. The Minister emphasized that Lithuania plans to formally join the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia this year.

"We have a clear interest in developing relations with ASEAN and its members. We see many opportunities to deepen cooperation both at the EU and national levels, and we hope to succeed in doing so during the Philippine chairmanship," the Minister said.

Lithuania and the Philippines established diplomatic relations in 1991, and the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in the Republic of Korea was accredited to the Philippines in 2023.