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On 3 October in Manila, the Ambassador of Lithuania Ričardas Šlepavičius presented his letters of credence to the President of the Philippines Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos. During the conversation with the President, Šlepavičius emphasised that Lithuania and the Philippines were like-minded countries that assessed today’s global challenges equally and sought to defend the rules-based international order.

“We must continue to support Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression in a spirit of solidarity, countering attempts by authoritarian states to change established rules unilaterally and addressing the consequences of the war in Europe and the Covid-19 pandemic. As Lithuania seeks to develop relations with the countries of the Indo-Pacific region, we also look for new opportunities for cooperation with the Philippines,” the Lithuanian diplomat said. The Ambassador also noted that the countries shared Christian values and love for basketball, which constituted an excellent basis for further developing people-to-people contacts.

During the conversation, the President took particular interest in Lithuania’s achievements in the laser sector. According to him, Lithuanian technologies and their application in the Philippines could become the basis for economic cooperation between Lithuania and the Philippines.

After the ceremony at the Malacañang Palace, Šlepavičius laid a wreath at the monument of the national hero José Rizal, who inspired the Philippine nationalist movement.

Šlepavičius is the fifth Ambassador of Lithuania to the Philippines since 1991, when Lithuania and the Philippines established their diplomatic relations. He was also the first one accredited from Seoul. Before Lithuania’s Embassy in South Korea opened in September 2021, the Lithuanian Ambassador to Japan was accredited to the Philippines.

Photos: The Office of the President of the Philippines, the Embassy of Lithuania in the Republic of Korea