Senate to meet visiting French senators for greater parliamentary, diplomatic ties

The Senate will welcome four members of the French Senate led by Senator Gerard Miquel who will visit the country from January 6 to 9 as part of efforts to advance cooperation and friendship between the Philippines and France.

Senate President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, along with members of the Philippine-France Parliamentary Friendship Association, will meet the delegation from the France-Southeast Asia Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group on January 9 at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila in Pasay City. Miquel, who is President of the Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group, will be joined by French Senators Bernard Saugey, Jean-Claude Lenoir and Simon Sutour.

Senate President Pro Tempore Franklin Drilon, Senator Loren Legarda, who is the head of the Philippine-France Parliamentary Friendship Association, and Senators Cynthia Villar, Juan Miguel Zubiri, and Joseph Victor Ejercito are also expected to join their French counterparts during the occasion.

Pimentel said he hopes the meeting would reinvigorate and end the long hiatus in official inter-parliamentary cooperation and exchanges between the Senate of the French Republic, and the Senate of the Philippines.

He said the presence of parliamentary friendship associations in both chambers will help sustain this inter-parliamentary cooperation, exchange of best practices, advance parliamentary diplomacy and increase people-to-people contacts.

During their four-day visit, the French delegation is also set to meet with Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr., Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III and Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña.

The French lawmakers are visiting three countries in Southeast Asia namely Thailand, Brunei and the Philippines.