Marcos receives new ambassadors from Colombia, Cambodia, Ukraine

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. | FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has expressed optimism for stronger ties with Colombia, Cambodia, and Ukraine as he welcomed their new resident ambassadors to the country.

During separate ceremonies in Malacañang on Tuesday, Marcos received the credentials of Ambassadors Edgar Rodrigo Rojas Garavito of Colombia, Sin Saream of Cambodia, and Yuliia Oleksandrivna Fediv of Ukraine.

“I believe there’s more that we can do, that we can explore many other sectors, and strengthen and deepen the relations between our two countries,” Marcos told Colombian Ambassador Garavito, as quoted in a press release from the Presidential Communications Office on Wednesday.

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Diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Colombia were officially established on July 5, 1946. Currently, around 100 Filipinos reside in Colombia.

Meanwhile, Cambodian Ambassador Sin relayed his commitment to further enhancing cooperation between Manila and Phnom Penh “for the mutual benefit and prosperity” of Filipinos and Cambodians.

Marcos then told him, “I welcome you to the Philippines and I look forward to even stronger relationships between our two countries and to strengthen[ing] what is already a very strong union between our two countries.”

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The Philippines and Cambodia have maintained diplomatic relations since August 20, 1957. As of June 2024, around 7,500 Filipinos reside in Cambodia.

Ukrainian Ambassador Fediv, on the other hand, expressed her readiness to contribute to developing bilateral relations, especially on “collective efforts that promote peace, prosperity, and mutual respect across borders.”

“We hope to continue – we will always support you in your efforts for peace. And we are very happy to welcome you here and to be able to have conversations with you as to what else we in the Philippines, though far away, might be able to do to help our quest for peace,” Marcos responded.

The Philippines and Ukraine officially established diplomatic relations on April 7, 1992. At present, there are about 24 Filipinos living in Ukraine.