Iran–Philippines relations

Iran-Philippines relations

Iran	Philippines

Iran and the Philippines established its diplomatic relations in 1974. The good relations between the Philippines and Iran gained momentum in 1995 with the exchanges of visits by the heads of state of the two countries. Iran has an embassy in Manila and the Philippines has an embassy in Tehran. There is a community of thousands of Iranians in the Philippines including many international students drawn by the country's low-cost English education.

Diplomatic relation

Iran and the Philippines have embassies in one another’s capitals, though the two do not shared extensive bilateral relations. In August 2003, Manila and Tehran held their first bilateral conference entitled Dialogue Among Civilizations. In April 2008, the Filipino foreign minister called for the expansion of bilateral ties with Iran and claimed that the two countries have enjoyed good relations in the past, giving promise to a positive future relationship. During an April 2009 meeting with the Filipino ambassador to Iran, Generoso Senga, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki noted the positive nature of bilateral ties and expressed hope that relations, especially in the fields of energy, technology, science, and culture, would continue to expand. In the same April 2009 meeting, Mottaki blamed the reactions of “extra-regional powers” for expanding extremism in Asia. In February 2010, the Emilio Aguinaldo College in Manila opened Iranian Cultural Week, which hosted a series of programs and exhibits on Iranian culture. The series was attended by Iran’s cultural ambassador and several Iranian cultural and political figures. On June 28, 2010, Mottaki demanded that the Philippine government conduct “an effective investigation” into a bus crash that left several Iranian medical students dead. Ambassador Senaga responded to Mottaki’s concerns saying he has “been pursuing the incident. Iranian Ambassador to the Philippines Ali Asghar Mohammadi said that's "Iran is committed to improving its overall relationship with the Philippines".

Economic relation

Hydrocarbons remain the main avenue of economic interaction for Iran and the Philippines. In 2006, the Philippines purchased between 70,000 and 110,000 barrels of oil a day from Iran, making the country one of the Philippines’ most significant trade partners in the region.In 2008, Iran agreed to invest $125 million petrochemical market in the Philippines. Iran and the Philippines have agreed to ensure better labor conditions for Filipino maritime workers. The sides penned a memorandum of agreement following a June 2010 meeting of the 2010 Diplomatic Conference of Parties to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping. According to the agreement, Iran will henceforth recognize Philippine maritime certificates of competencies. Then-Filipino Labor Secretary Marianito Roque expressed his “appreciation to the Iranian government for its willingness to enter into an agreement with the Philippines and claimed that “the recognition is essential to the continued employment of Filipino seafarers in the international maritime industry.

Nuclear relation

Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis voiced his government's support in June 2008 for Iran's right to use peaceful nuclear energy. The undersecretary said that given rising hydrocarbon prices, all countries should be able to access civilian nuclear energy. In April 2008, the Philippines’ foreign secretary, Alberto Romulo, said that his country supports Iran’s right to access peaceful nuclear technology under the safeguards of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.