08 June 2016 – Philippine Ambassador to the Russian Federation Carlos D. Sorreta met with Mr. Vladimir Ulakhovich, Deputy Chairman of the Belarus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BelCCI), on June 03 in Minsk, following his presentation of credentials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the morning of the same day.

Ambassador Sorreta told Mr. Ulakhovich that the Philippines is looking towards Eurasia in its drive to diversify its trade and investment partners for sustained economic growth. Belarus and the larger Eurasian is a new economic frontier for the Philippines.

“For cultural and historical reasons, the Philippine economy has for the longest time been tied to a particular country. We need to expand our economic partnerships because the Filipino consumer deserves to have a wide range of product options at affordable prices”, Ambassador Sorreta explained.

For this reason, the Philippines is interested in boosting economic ties with Belarus, especially given the latter’s robust industrial and agricultural sectors.

Ambassador Sorreta told Mr. Ulakhovich that the Philippine government is looking for a representative in Minsk, preferably a businessman familiar with ASEAN and the Asia Pacific in general, to serve as Honorary Consul. The establishment of an Honorary Consulate in Minsk will put the Philippines in a good position to facilitate business-to-business linkages.

Mr. Ulakhovich welcomed this positive signal and assured Ambassador Sorreta that he will discuss this matter with some potential candidates in the BelCCI network. He further stated that this provides a good opportunity for the BelCCI to develop relations with its Philippine counterpart. “We are a new country. The process of state-building is not yet finished…It is our government’s policy to cooperate with everyone if mutual interests exist,” Mr. Ulakhovich noted. Despite the huge distance separating the Philippines and Belarus, there are complementarities in the two countries’ economic needs and priorities that could serve as a solid basis for closer relations.

The BelCCI is a non-profit government entity with a mandate to “promote the development of the national economy, as well as of the industrial, scientific, technical and trade relations of the Republic of Belarus with other countries”. It has more than 2000 members, including Belarus’ big state-owned companies. BelCCI has representatives in 30 countries in Asia, including the Philippines, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East. END