President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday received Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlic Radman in a courtesy call in Malacañang.
This marked the first-ever official visit of Croatia’s foreign minister to the Philippines.
During their meeting, Marcos said the historic visit marks a new chapter in the long-standing friendship between the Philippines and Croatia.
“Welcome to the Philippines, especially at this very important time. We celebrate our long relationship between our two countries, and now you have the opening of your office here in the Philippines,” President Marcos said.
Radman’s visit also marked the opening of the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Croatia in Manila.
He thanked the President and the Filipino people for their warm welcome and cited their two nations’ shared values and mutual respect for international law.
According to a post on the Facebook page of the Republic of Croatia’s Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Radman and Marcos reaffirmed their nations’ “shared commitment to dialogue, stability, and a broader agenda of economic and people-to-people cooperation.”
The Croatian foreign minister was in the country for a two-day visit and met key government officials like Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., and Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac.
He also paid a courtesy call on Speaker Faustino Dy III to discuss interparliamentary cooperation and new avenues of engagement between the Philippines and Croatia.
He also met with European Ambassador Mariamassimo Santoro and Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown during his visit to Manila.
The Philippines and Croatia formally established diplomatic relations on February 25, 1993. — JMA, GMA Integrated News