The Philippine government is gearing up to sign several new agreements with the United Kingdom as part of the celebrations leading to the 80th anniversary of their diplomatic relations in 2026, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). These agreements, which include memoranda of understanding on trade and investments, maritime, defense, and Information and Communications Technology, are slated to be finalized this year. The DFA highlighted these upcoming deals during a press release on Wednesday.
The discussions took place at the 2nd Philippines-UK Strategic Dialogue held in London on February 3, where DFA Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs Ma. Theresa Lazaro and UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Indo-Pacific) Catherine West MP outlined the future steps in their bilateral relationship, focusing on the imminent agreements. The dialogue also anticipated the signing of the Joint Framework Agreement in March.
During their meeting, Lazaro and West discussed various regional and international issues, with Lazaro expressing gratitude for the UK’s ongoing support in promoting the rule of law in the Indo-Pacific region. The Strategic Dialogue is a result of the Philippines-UK Enhanced Partnership, which was officially launched in November 2021.
Since the inception of this partnership, both nations have engaged in thematic meetings across five key areas of cooperation, known as the ‘pillars’ of the partnership. These include political affairs, defense, maritime, economic and trade, and climate and environment.