MANILA — Malacañang on Friday congratulated the Philippines’ “old friend” Mahathir Mohamad on his return as Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the election of the 92-year-old Mahathir is expected to deepen the relations between the Philippines and Malaysia.
“Prime Minister Mahathir is an old friend of the Philippines and his fresh mandate augurs well for the deep relations between the Philippines and Malaysia,” Roque said in a press statement.
He said Malaysia is a brother nation and dependable partner of the Philippines “for having played a constructive role towards the attainment of peace and stability in Mindanao.”
“We are thus confident that the strong partnership between our two countries would continue to be enhanced in the years to come,” Roque said.
On Thursday, Mahathir was sworn in as Malaysia’s seventh Prime Minister, making him the world’s oldest head of government.
Mahathir promised that Malaysia, as one of the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), would remain a “friendly trading nation.”
The ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.