EU envoy seeks ways to move relations forward

MANILA, Philippines - The European Union is seeking views on how best to interact with the Philippine government at this time when the country is going through rapid changes under a new administration.

Ambassador Franz Jessen met on Wednesday with Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. to discuss Philippines-EU bilateral agenda.

“A key element in that meeting was for me to get the views of the secretary on how best to have a productive interaction between the EU and the Philippines during this period where the Philippines is changing rapidly according to the priorities of the new government,” Jessen said.

According to him, EU’s general objectives for Asia are spelled out in its global strategy paper titled “Shared vision, Common Action.”

“Diplomacy is the skill of managing relations between sovereign countries and institutions,” the EU ambassador explained. “Some key elements are: respect, understanding the host country, your mandate, overlapping interests, values and the scope for joint cooperation. The work is often conducted in private, allowing for trust and mutual confidence to be created.”

Suggesting diplomacy is actually like managing personal relations, he said: “There is greater emphasis on formalities, on procedures, on exchanges of views, persuasion and greater respect of each side’s rights and independence. But in the end it is all about maintaining good relations, as it is the case for personal relations.”

Jessen cited the book “Dusk” by Filipino writer F. Sionil Jose, noting that the author stressed in his own way the importance of discourse among equals, and how the poor suffered from lack of respect of human dignity and values during a difficult period in Philippine history.

Jessen said the description of the republic’s first foreign secretary Apolinario Mabini, his values and how he was destroyed by his enemies should be read by all diplomats in Manila.

Relations between the Philippines and the EU are linked to the EU-ASEAN informal relations starting in 1972, the first Ministerial Meeting in Brussels in 1978, and a formal cooperation agreement signed in 1980.

The 21st foreign Ministerial Meeting took place in Bangkok on Oct. 13-14.

“My hope is that the meeting will serve to bring our two regional blocks closer together, enabling us to promote shared interests on the global stage,” Jessen said.

President Duterte has written US President Barack Obama, US Secretary of State John Kerry, the UN, and the EU, inviting them to visit the Philippines to probe the killings linked to his brutal war against illegal drugs.

Duterte has been at odds with the US, EU and UN over his intensified campaign against narcotics, which has left about 3,000 drug suspects dead.

He said the US, the EU and the UN had humiliated him before the international community and were trying to interfere with the Philippines’ affairs.

European business leaders said a rift with the EU could have negative consequences for the Philippine economy.