Ukraine and the Philippines are moving to revive a dormant agreement between their parliament and the Philippine Congress following the first major Ukrainian delegation visit to Manila, Ukraine’s ambassador said.
The Ukrainian parliamentary delegation, which includes lawmakers, members of Ukrainian media and think tanks, was on a three-day visit to the Philippines from September 22 to 24 to strengthen bilateral relations.
Ukrainian Ambassador to the Philippines Yuliia Fediv told Philstar.com in an interview on Monday, September 29, that the ‘most valuable’ part of the delegation’s visit was the talks between both countries’ lawmakers for trade ties.
‘We had several meetings, but I think the most valuable one was the meeting between the MPs and the House of Representatives of the Congress,’ Fediv said.
‘We were pretty lucky to join the session at the House and also to have a meeting with the Speaker before his first speech at the House,’ the ambassador said.
Members of Ukraine’s Parliament also met with the House Inter-Parliamentary and Foreign Policy Committee on September 23 to discuss renewing a memorandum of understanding signed in the 1990s between the Ukrainian Parliament and the House.
The panel is chaired by Rep. Georgina de Venecia (Pangasinan, 4th District).
‘We talked about renewing the text of this memorandum and making it more active now, and to sign maybe the new MOU or the action plan with deliverables for the next years,’ the Ukrainian ambassador told Philstar.com.
Lawmakers from both countries spoke of potential cooperation in trade and investment, with Ukrainian officials saying they see room to strengthen export-import ties.
Other areas discussed include science and technology, people-to-people exchanges, and coordination at international forums on maintaining rules-based international order.
The ambassador said the next steps include renewing the MOU and encouraging more exchanges between Ukrainian and Philippine legislators in the coming years.
Broader diplomatic push
Ukraine is finalizing several agreements with the Philippines, including memoranda on a joint commission for trade and investment, agriculture, security and cybersecurity, the Ukrainian ambassador said.
The embassy is also working with Ateneo de Manila University and other schools to establish Ukrainian studies programs, with Ukrainian universities planning reciprocal courses on Filipino history and ASEAN issues.
The ambassador said Ukraine wants direct communication between the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and Ukraine’s Ministry on culture and information policy.
A cybersecurity memorandum focused on countering disinformation is also in the works.
Manila is expected to open an embassy in Kyiv, though no timeline was given.
For now, Ukraine coordinates with the Philippine ambassador to Warsaw, Poland, who also covers Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Manila in June, where he met President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and vowed to strengthen both nations’ diplomatic ties, which have spanned over three decades.