Ensuring a fruitful state visit, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. met all four top ranking officials of the Czech Republic on Thursday as part of his three-day visit to the country aimed at strengthening the bilateral cooperation and multilateral partnerships between the Philippines and the Czech Republic.
Arrival honors were accorded to President Marcos and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos at the Prague Castle where he was warmly welcomed by Czech Republic President Petr Pavel and First Lady Eva Pavlová.
In his meeting with President Pavel, President Marcos said that he discussed a range of topic, including measures on how the Philippines and the Czech Republic can strengthen the bilateral ties, cooperation and multilateral partnerships between the two countries.
The two leaders also witnessed the signing of the Joint Communique to establish a labor consultation mechanism between the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Czech Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. He also discussed the position of the Philippine government in the South China Sea issues, and the continued efforts to explore various opportunities in terms of trade and investments, agriculture, green economy, renewable energy, space, aerospace, education, tourism, defense, among others.
“I also highlighted to the President the Philippines’ remarkable economic performance, that making it an attractive destination for Czech investment in the areas of IT-BPM, in electronics, manufacturing, food and agriculture, and automotive / EV manufacturing, amongst others,” President Marcos said.
“I thank President Pavel for the Czech Republic’s support as a like-minded partner, in upholding peace, stability, and the rules-based international order,” the chief executive emphasized during the joint press briefing.
Shortly after the productive meeting with President Pavel, President Marcos met with Czech Senate President Miloš Vystrčil at the Czech Senate where he highlighted the importance of the bicameral system in the Philippines. President Marcos also met with Czech Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Markéta Pekarová Adamová where he expressed pride in industry and skills of the Filipino workers, and emphasized that the Philippines has the biggest assets in terms of its young workforce.
Before concluding the second day of his hectic three-day state visit in Czech Republic, President Marcos sat a bilateral meeting with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala where they both agreed to further strengthen the bilateral relationship of the two countries.
He was accompanied by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez in his meetings with the four officials.
Diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the Czech Republic were officially established on October 5, 1973.
Before flying back to Manila today, Friday, the President will speak at the Philippine-Czech Republic Business Forum in Prague and conduct a bilateral meeting with a local firm. He will also meet with the Filipino community in Prague to cap his state visit in the Czech capital. |PND
