PBBM: Germany, Czechia trips created opportunities for cooperation

BACK HOME. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. delivers his arrival speech at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Saturday (March 16, 2024) following his working visit to Berlin, Germany and state visit to Prague, Czech Republic. Marcos reported the outcomes of his successful back-to-back trips, including investment opportunities. (PNA photo by Joan Bondoc)

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Saturday said his back-to-back visits to Germany and the Czech Republic opened doors for more opportunies to deepen the Philippines’ cooperation with the two Central European nations.

The plane carrying Marcos and the official Philippine delegation landed at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City at around 3:11 p.m.

In his arrival statement, Marcos said the signing of several agreements with the two Central European countries and the support from German and Czech government to resume the negotiations for the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the European Union (EU) 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,” Marcos said.

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.

Marcos met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and they discussed matters of mutual concerns, particularly the upholding of the rule of law and the promotion of a rules-based international order.

Marcos said he and Scholz agreed to enhance cooperation in the areas of peace and development, defense, maritime, trade and investment, renewable energy, climate change and labor.

In Czech Republic, 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 ingestment, defense, agriculture, renewable energy, transport and of course, people-to-people exchanges,” Marcos said.

Marcos also noted that during his meetings with German and Czech business leaders, he emphasized the Philippines’ remarkable economic performance and invited them to invest in the country.

“I also met with the German and Czech businessmen. They are keen to expand their ventures to the Philippines,” he said.

“And I’m glad to announce that my German visit resulted in business agrements for projects with an aggregate value of USD4 billion in the sectors of renewable energy, manufacturing, healthcare, innovation and start-ups, IT-BPM (Information Technology and Business Process Management), minerals processing, agriculture and aerospace,” Marcos added.

The Philippines also secured business agreements in Czech Republic in sectors such as semiconductors and IT-BPM, Marcos said, stressing that these underscore the shared commitment to bilateral cooperation.

Marcos said he had directed Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual to make a follow-up on the progress of the FTA discussions at the EU headquarters in Brussels.

Just like in his previous trips, Marcos met with the Filipino communities in Berlin and Prague to reassure them of his administration’s unwavering commitment to creating more job opportunities and improving the Philippine economy.