Foreign Secretary Lazaro says the Philippines and Italy are 'united by the sea' in Rome speech, days after Philippines-Holy See 75th anniversary events there

Speaking at the Festival of Diplomacy in Rome, Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro highlighted Philippine-Italian maritime and defence cooperation, days after leading celebrations of 75 years of Philippines-Holy See relations with Filipino clergy and laypeople in Rome.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro told an audience at the Center for American Studies in Rome that the Philippines and Italy, though geographically distant, are united by the sea, in a speech at the Festival of Diplomacy reported by Agenzia Nova on 26 October.

"The maritime routes connecting the Indo-Pacific and the Mediterranean support our economies and connect the prosperity of our peoples."

Lazaro thanked Italy for its support for the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 arbitral award, including through the G7, and said the partnership between Rome and Manila "has also acquired a stronger security dimension through the Defense Cooperation Agreement signed earlier this year." She said Italian-Philippine cooperation also covers economic resilience, technological collaboration, maritime connectivity and human ties.

"If international law can be ignored in the South China Sea, its authority is weakened in the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and elsewhere," Lazaro said. "The rule of law cannot be geographically selective."

75 years with the Holy See

Lazaro also led the Philippine delegation in Rome on 23 October to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the Holy See, The PhilBizNews reported. The day included a meeting with Archbishop Paul Gallagher and a Mass officiated by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin at the Chiesa e Santuario di San Giovanni Battista de La Salle, attended by Filipino clergy and laypeople, followed by the unveiling of a commemorative stamp.

The two sides discussed further cooperation to protect and promote the welfare of migrants and seafarers. The events also marked the 65th anniversary of the Pontificio Colegio Filippino, a Rome-based centre for advanced studies and spiritual formation for Filipino Catholic priests established in 1961, and were organised by Philippine Ambassador to the Holy See Raphael Perpetuo Lotilla.

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