President Marcos on Saturday said his back-to-back visits to Germany and the Czech Republic opened doors for more opportunities to deepen the Philippines’ cooperation with the two Central European nations.
In his arrival statement, Mr. Marcos said the signing of several agreements and the support from the German and Czech governments to resume the negotiations for the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and the Philippines are among the successful outcomes of his trips.
“Overall, I am confident that these visits to Germany and the Czech Republic have strengthened our bonds with these two countries in Central Europe and created opportunities for cooperation and prosperity,” he said.
Negotiations for the PH-EU trade deal began in December 2015, but the European Commission suspended negotiations due to concerns over human rights abuses in the Philippines during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on illegal drugs.
European Commission Ursula von Der Leyen expressed the EU’s intention to relaunch FTA talks under the Marcos administration during her visit in Manila in 2023.
Mr. Marcos said his visit to Berlin was part of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Philippines’ bilateral ties with Germany last year and the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
Mr. Marcos and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz discussed matters of mutual concerns, particularly upholding the rule of law and the promotion of a rules-based international order, especially in the South China Sea.
In Prague, Mr. Marcos discussed bilateral relations in separate meetings with President Petr Pavel, Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Senate President Miloš Vystrčil, and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Markéta Pekarová Adamová.
“We discussed ways to further strengthen our bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade and investment, defense, agriculture, renewable energy, transport and of course, people-to-people exchanges,” he said.