Marcos pushes tighter Asean-EU ties

President Marcos pushed for more economic partnerships between the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) as he met the new ambassador of Switzerland in Malacañang on Wednesday. “I think it is actually wise [for] European countries, Switzerland included, to look to Asean, to look to Asia,” Marcos told Ambassador Nicolas Brühl who presented his credentials at the Palace. Brühl agreed and noted that Asian economies are recovering well compared to other parts of the world. He noted the Swiss Federal Council’s Southeast Asia strategy for 2023 to 2026 is intended to broaden the Alpine state’s relations with the region and to coherently harness the many opportunities offered by the growth of the Asia-Pacific zone. The Philippines and Switzerland established formal diplomatic ties in 1957. The Swiss government has maintained a consulate in Manila since 1862 when the Philippines was still a Spanish colony. The Philippines and Switzerland are both members of the Philippines–European Free Trade Association (Efta) Free Trade Agreement. The Efta member states—Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland—signed the FTA with the Philippines on April 28, 2016. The FTA entered into force on June 1, 2018, for the Philippines, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, and on Jan. 1, 2020, for Iceland. —JEROME ANING