THE Philippines reaffirmed its commitment to work with Cambodia to promote peace and prosperity in the region, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Chenda Sophea have agreed to enhance the bilateral ties of their countries.
Manalo and Sophea met on Tuesday to co-chair the 4th Philippines-Cambodia Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC).
Photo by DFA-OPD, Johannes Adrian De Guia
It was the first visit of Sophea to another member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It was also his first official bilateral visit.
“I am optimistic that the strengthening of our bilateral relations will benefit our peoples and the rest of the region,” Manalo said.
“I reaffirm the Philippines’ commitment to remain a steadfast partner of Cambodia and to work closely to promote peace and prosperity in the region,” he said.
Manalo and Sophea took note of the “deepening of bilateral relations between the Philippines and Cambodia and encouraged the continuing exchanges and interactions of high-level officials, as well as aiming for higher bilateral trade and tourism flows,” the DFA said in a statement.
They also committed to strengthen cooperation in such areas as defense and security, combating transnational crime, tourism, culture, and sports, and to explore other areas such as health, environment, and energy.
The foreign ministers looked forward to the signing of an agreement on the avoidance of double taxation this year.
The two countries also committed to expedite the conclusion of agreements on agriculture, labor, technical and vocational education, and the prevention of looting and illicit trafficking of cultural artifacts within the year.
DFA Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and Asean Affairs Ma. Theresa Lazaro co-chaired the Senior Officials’ Meeting of the JCBC with Secretary of State Ung Rachana of the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Be the first to comment