Thank you, Mr. Chair.
His Excellency Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba,
And may I add our congratulations on your assumption of the Office of Prime Minister of Japan.
Your Majesty,
Excellencies,
It has almost been a year since we commemorated the 50th year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation last December.
As ASEAN’s “Trusted Partner”, we welcome Japan’s continued commitment to our common vision for a world built on shared principles and values, the rule of law and good governance, and also for the respect for and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
We appreciate Japan’s support for strengthening and promoting ASEAN Centrality, through the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP).
Our relations continue to fortify a rules-based Indo-Pacific region that is free and open through shared fundamental principles in fostering peace, stability, and prosperity.
The common problems in our region are increasingly transnational in nature. Unilateral actions in the East and in the South China Sea continue to undermine peace and stability in the region.
We, therefore, must remain steadfast in our responsibility, building on mutual trust, in upholding maritime security and cooperation, territorial integrity, disarmament, and the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.
Japan has consistently demonstrated its commitment as ASEAN’s partner for peace and stability through the ASEAN Regional Forum and the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus.
The Philippines looks forward to advancing our partnership through our Co-Chairing of the ADMM Plus Experts’ Working Group on Maritime Security for 2024 to 2027.
The Philippines’ experience makes clear that natural disasters pose great risks to food security.
And we thank Japan’s continued support as our Partner for Co-Creation of Economy and Society of the Future through the mechanisms of the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR), as well as the ASEAN-JICA Food Value Chain Development Project, promoting sustainable agriculture and promoting food security.
Together, we seek to strengthen resilient and sustainable agriculture and food systems contributing to existing efforts in ensuring regional food security.
In the realm of environmental protection, we welcome Japan’s efforts in deepening our collaboration in pursuing carbon neutrality to reduce the disastrous effects of global warming on our communities.
We call for the protection of biodiversity and marine environment, and as stewards of proactive climate action – to encourage biodiversity conservation and to promote green technologies and the blue economy.
By continuing to work together on these fronts anchoring on Japan’s technology and expertise, we aim to further safeguard our marine ecosystems.
As we continue to advance ASEAN-Japan relations, we reaffirm our commitment to our “heart-to-heart” relationship built on mutual trust, mutual understanding, and mutual respect, through promoting youth and people-to-people exchanges across all sectors, including culture and the arts, sports, and tourism.
We note the “Progress Report of the Implementation Plan of the Joint Vision Statement on ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation Trusted Partners,” which highlights the great strides in our 51 years of solid partnership.
As we celebrate the significant progress and achievements of our relations since 1973, please be assured, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, of our continued support for an enduring ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation.
Thank you.
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