The ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan has offered its services to the Department of Foreign Affairs to help improve the Philippines’ ties with North Korea.
The group made the offer following the summit between President Donald Trump of the United States and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore on June 12.
“As part of our independent foreign policy, the Philippines should not hesitate to re-frame our relations with countries that we have not significantly engaged with in the past,” said Energy Secretary and PDP Laban National Vice Chairman Alfonso Cusi.
The Philippines and North Korea established relations on July 12, 2000, when then Foreign Affairs Secretary Domingo Siazon Jr. and North Korean Ambassador to Thailand Jo In-chol signed a joint communique declaring the establishment of relations at the ambassadorial level.
Cusi said PDP Laban was ready to do its part to facilitate closer ties with North Korea.
“In fact, our Party will send a delegation to Pyongyang, led by our Vice President for International Affairs Secretary Raul Lambino, to meet with their counterparts from the Workers’ Party of Korea,” Cusi said.
The Workers’ Party is the ruling party of North Korea.
Cusi said the PDP Laban delegation was charged with the task of forging closer party-to-party and people-to-people ties between the two countries.
“We offer to the DFA our services to help establish more formal relations between our governments,” he said.