By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora
MANILA – Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon on Tuesday expressed support to the Philippines’ bid for a non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
“We are a non-permanent member of the Security Council (we are) strongly committed to international law, to UN Charter, to human rights, and we share those values together with the Philippines,” she said in a joint presser with Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo in Manila.
“We are also fully supportive to the candidacy of the Philippines to the Security Council in the near future,” she added.
Like in Manila, Fajon said the promotion and respect of international law is of “extreme importance” to Ljubljana.
Today’s challenging and complex geopolitical environment, she said, more than ever highlights the great importance of adhering to international law.
“We need like-minded countries such as Philippines and Slovenia to work closely together and to protect our shared values,” she said.
Manalo, for his part, agreed that the best way forward against the backdrop of the present geopolitical situation is cooperation and commitment to a rules-based order.
“Our campaign for the Security Council non-permanent seat is also based on these important values and principles,” he said.
During their meeting on Tuesday, Manalo and Fajon also exchanged views on key international issues, including developments in the Indo-Pacific and the West Philippine Sea, Ukraine, and the Middle East.
On the issue of the South China Sea, Manalo said, they both emphasized the importance of a “free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region”.
He said Fajon expressed “solidarity with the Philippines when it comes to the security and the observance of international law in the South China Sea”.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced the country’s UNSC bid during the 77th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in September 2022, saying the Philippines’ peace-building efforts make it qualified to be part of the UN body.
Elections for the UNSC 2027-2028 term will take place in June 2026 in New York.
The Philippines was previously elected as a non-permanent member of the UNSC in 1957, 1963, 1980-1981, and 2004-2005. (PNA)
