On 30th March 2016, the Jagiellonian University hosted Her Excellency Ambassador of the Philippines in Poland, Patricia Ann V. Paez

On 30th March 2016, the Jagiellonian University hosted Her Excellency Ambassador of the Philippines in Poland, Patricia Ann V. Paez, in the company of Attaché Evelyn Vega and Embassy Secretary Imelda de Joya.

The guests were received in Collegium Novum by His Magnificence Professor Wojciech Nowak, Rector of the University. The meeting was accompanied by Professor Bogdan Szlachta, Dean of the Faculty of International and Political Studies and Professor Adam Jelonek, Head of the Department of East and South Asia.

The meeting revolved around the prospective academic co-operation, especially student exchange programmes. Other subjects included diplomatic relations between Poland and the Philippines as well as the history of both countries and their higher education systems.

Another point of the Ambassador's visit was a lecture she gave in the main building of the Institute of Middle East and Far East Studies entitled "An Overview of the Philippines and its Perspectives and Official Position on the Issue of Competing Claims in the South China Sea".

The lecture started with a short description of the Philippines, starting with its geographical location, a quick look at its history, on to the current political and social situation and the natural beauty of the country. Using statistical data, Ambassador Paez presented the Philippines as a country of young people (average age 23) and the Filipinos themselves as the most friendly nation in Asia (over 34 million Facebook users).

After this short introduction into the subject, Patricia Ann V. Paez made a detailed presentation of the territorial conflict between China and the Philippines regarding the South China Sea. The Philippines base their claims to the atoll on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea which stipulates that countries are allowed 200 nautical miles of exclusive economic zones. The disputed Scarborough Shoal, however, is located 124 nautical miles (230 kilometers) west of the Island of Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines. Apart from the Law of the Sea, Ambassador Paez also presented some historical arguments.

Presenting the Philippines' side, the speaker stressed that her country is striving to resolve the conflict peacefully and hence is seeking international arbitrage. However, the country cannot remain silent faced with blatant injustice, as this is how Filipinos interpret China taking over the Scarborough Shoal and the Spartly Islands.

The lecture of Her Excellency Ambassador of the Philippines in Poland, Patricia Ann V. Paez was part of the fourth edition of the Jagiellonian Diplomatic Encounters, organized by the Faculty of International and Political Studies under the patronage of Rector of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków.

By Renata Czekalska