Australian Ambassador Amanda Gorely welcomed the Duterte administration’s pivot to China and Russia, viewing the new tack will likely increase trade and industry in the Philippines.
“It is just natural to be friendly with other nations like China and Russia,” Gorely said at the sideline of the celebration of the 70th anniversary of Philippine-Australian diplomatic relations.
Gorely cited the foreign policy of Australia that has been seeking multiple relationships with the United States, Russia and China at the same time.
“Australia have an alliance with the United States and we have also a very strong relationship with China and Russia. It’s good to have multiple relationships with all countries,” she stressed, adding that Australia respects any government that pursues an independent foreign policy.
“Australia also has bilateral relations with China and with Russia. All of us have strong relationship and we do have big investments in both countries and fast increasing,” she said.
She also added that a balanced diplomatic relationship combined with reciprocal trade relations will be of great help leading to close relations.
“We aim to have constructive relationship with as many countries as possible and you can accommodate differences within that. It doesn’t mean that you have to throw the baby out with bath water,” she stressed.
Gorely said Australia will continue to support the Philippines in further strengthening both diplomatic ties.
She said, the need and presence of overseas Filipino workers in Australia is increasing, recognizing their hard work and dedication.
So far, she said, there are a total of 240 Australian business investments in the Philippines, generating thousands of jobs for Filipinos.
On Thursday, UK Ambassador to the Philippines Asif Ahmad urged Duterte to reconsider his plan to form new alliance with Russia, citing Moscow’s invovlement in the ongoing unrest to all war-torn countries, including Syria and Afghanistan.
“You cannot cherrypick the positive attributes of a country and ignore the rest,” Ahmad said.
He said that Russia invaded Afghanistan which resulted to the creation of Al-Qaida, a terror group founded by Osama bin Laden, who was killed in May 2011.
“If you check the history books, you’ll see Afghanistan was invaded by Russia, and Al-Qaida was born out of that conflict, and the consequences of that have gone global, including here in the Philippines,” Ahmad explained.
He said that Russian invasion in Afghanistan also affected not only the nearby countries but also the Philippines.
“So what was spawned by Russian intervention in Afghanistan, we’re paying the price for it today in Mindanao, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Manila, when the ferry was blown up in the early part of the 2000s,” he said.
Ahmad was talking about the firebombing of a ferry in Manila Bay in 2004 killing more than 100 lives.