on Thursday. — NOEL B. PABALATE/PPA POOL
PHILIPPINE President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Thursday told the Czech Republic’s defense minister that Manila is keen on pursuing deeper defense, economic, and diplomatic ties with the Central European nation.
“I am very optimistic for the future in terms of our relationship with each other,” he told Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochová at Malacañang, based on a transcript provided by the Presidential Communications Office.
“In all things, on the people-to-people side, on the economic side, the defense and security, the diplomatic and the problem with the government.”
The European Union in December said it is keen on bolstering ties with the Philippines in diplomatic efforts on free and open waters in the Indo-Pacific region as it reaffirmed commitment to international law amid its maritime dispute with China.
“So, I think that really there is much that we can do together and there are many areas that we still need to explore,” the Philippine President told the Czech minister. — John Victor D. Ordoñez