Philippine Ambassador to South Africa Noralyn Jubaira Baja met with Ambassador Andre Groenewald, Director of the Diplomatic Training and Research Development Institute of the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO-DTRDI).

The main objective of the meeting was to discuss and exchange views on how to implement the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on diplomatic training and research which was signed between DIRCO-DTRDI and the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) of the Philippines on 23 February 2023.

The meeting ended on a positive note, with both sides agreeing to explore cooperation in areas of mutual interest such as middle power diplomacy, blue economy, and artificial intelligence under the framework of the MOU.

First Secretary and Consul Maurice A. Tiempo accompanied Ambassador Baja during the meeting.

Ambassador Groenewald previously served as South Africa’s top envoy to Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia and Moldova from 2019 to 2023. As a career diplomat, he has served at various offices in DIRCO. This is not his first time to be assigned at DTRDI and he has played a key role in strengthening DIRCO’s training arm to capacitate diplomats not only from South Africa, but also from other African countries.