PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said the country is now eyeing to expand economic and defense cooperation with the Czech Republic.
Marcos made the pronouncement in a press conference after his bilateral meeting with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, who arrived in the country last Sunday, for the first leg of his 10-day Asian tour.
“During this meeting, Prime Minister Fiala and I discussed a range of issues of mutual interests, including defense cooperation, trade and investment, university-to-university linkages, and labor cooperation,” Marcos said.
“We recognize the importance of building on the existing areas of cooperation and exploring new opportunities for collaboration,” he added.
Private sector cooperation
This was echoed by Fiala, who hopes his visit in the country will result in more partnerships between Czech and Philippine firms.
“Our companies offer solutions in many fields and many areas‚ agriculture, aviation, transportation or space technologies,” Fiala said.
For agriculture, he said Czech firms can offer technological assistance to the Philippine National Dairy Authority on storing raw milk and its processing.
As for defense, the Czech head of state said their firm, Česká zbrojovka, can also offer its services for the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, to include transfer of technology.
Fiala said they are also studying the recruitment of more Filipino workers due to the commendable performance in the Czech Republic.
International issues
During the bilateral talks, Marcos said he and Fiala also exchanged views on regional and international issues.
“We had a very interesting exchange of views regarding regional and international issues, including the West Philippine Sea and cross-strait relations, and the war in Ukraine, amongst others,” Marcos said.
“We both emphasize our country’s shared commitment to democracy, to human rights, and the rule of law,” he added.
After his visit to the Philippines, Fiala will fly to Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan.
Image credits: PNA/Alfred Frias
