MANILA -- Spain stands ready to provide "institutional support" and assistance to "strengthen the dialogue" in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

This comes after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Spain President Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón sat down in a historic bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-European Union (ASEAN-EU) Commemorative Summit in Brussels, Belgium.

Pérez-Castejón described the Philippines as a "priority country" for its assistance programs, pledging various initiatives for lasting peace in the southern Philippines.

"But it's true that you know, Philippines is the only Asian country in… from our side, listed as a priority country in the masterplan for Spanish cooperation," said Pérez-Castejón 

"The Spanish cooperation in Muslim Mindanao… especially this region, [the] Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, [is] where we try to provide institutional support and strengthen the dialogue," the Spanish president added.

President Marcos, for his part, recalled his work in the Senate in hopes of creating an autonomous political entity to end decades of conflict and poverty in the southern Philippines. 

"I was a senator, and we were forming the new autonomous region, and of the places I went to seek advice was your experience in Catalonia, and I learned… we learned very much. The most important lesson that they taught [us] was to make sure that... the curriculum in the autonomous region schools is the same as the rest," the President pointed out.

"Because if you teach different things to those kids, then they think we're not the same as the rest of the Philippines... and we took to that lesson very closely, and it was good advice," Marcos added.

In the meeting, the two leaders agreed to strengthen Manila and Madrid's bilateral relations, especially with the "very strong and historic ties" between the two. (PND)