MANILA -- The Philippines and Malaysia should examine and restrengthen their relationship as the two nations gear toward post-pandemic recovery, wherein both countries will play an important role, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said on Wednesday.

“It is time for us to really examine those relationship and restrengthen those relationship and that, for me, is the most important aspect of this visit that I have made to Kuala Lumpur, to Malaysia,” President Marcos said during his meeting with Malaysia’s King Al-Sultan Abdullah and Queen Azizah.

The President was accorded a State Welcome Ceremony, including a 21-gun salute, upon his arrival at Istana Negara (Malaysia’s National Palace) earlier today and was personally welcomed by the King and Queen of Malaysia, as well as Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his wife, Dato’ Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

“I believe that it is the way for us to refocus our efforts together to mutually beneficial initiatives for our two countries and to see how we can help one another as we face the post-pandemic future.”

Post-pandemic scenario is a very different road that the two nations now face, compared to what we faced before the pandemic, the President said.

According to the President, their memberships in ASEAN and in the BIMP-EAGA still continues to strengthen their relationship as they come back and start to emerge from the difficult period in the last two and a half years of the pandemic.

The two countries must recreate and transform themselves to be competitive and to be part of a new world order as it is happening and transforming now.

“We will play a very large part in that transformation. And that transformation is going to strengthen and made more stable by this partnership that we make with each other,” he said.

“And so, it becomes more and more important for me that these partnerships we will foster on a cultural level and the people-to-people (diplomacy) now continue to be expanded and to gain stature in the way that we promote that relationship between our two countries.”

This partnership is important not only to Malaysia, the Philippines, and the ASEAN but also to the rest of the world, he pointed out.

Whatever beginnings they have made, they all proved to be of importance to the continuing relationship between Malaysia and the Philippines, said Marcos.

The President arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday afternoon for a state visit that includes meeting the Malaysian king, government officials, as well as the business leaders with the goal of strengthening the relationship of the Philippines and Malaysia. (PND)