President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expects the Philippines and the Czech Republic to explore new areas of cooperation to strengthen bilateral ties.
During a courtesy visit to Malacañang on Thursday, Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochová met with Marcos Jr., who recalled his productive visit to Prague in March last year.
“It gives us the promise of a much stronger and a much deeper relationship between the Czech Republic and the Republic of the Philippines,” the President told the visiting Czech official.
“Your visit here is very important because we are continuing with the discussion that we had in Prague … did not end in Prague, that they continue to go on between our two countries,” he added.
Marcos Jr. highlighted opportunities for cooperation in culture, trade, defense, security, and diplomacy.
“There is much that we can do together, and there are many areas we still need to explore, which we never did between our two countries. I hope your visit will trigger and push and give impetus to that matter,” according to him.
Černochová expressed gratitude for the meeting, noting her admiration for the Philippines and its hardworking people, who are highly valued in the Czech Republic.
Formal diplomatic ties between the two countries date back to October 5, 1973. In 2023, the Czech Republic ranked as the Philippines’ 28th largest trading partner.
As of June 30 last year, around 8,783 Filipinos were working in various sectors in the Czech Republic, including manufacturing, IT, healthcare, and household services.IMT
