MANILA -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is looking forward to amplifying the joint maritime activity between the Philippines and Australia under the scope of the enhanced strategic partnership between the two countries.

President Marcos acknowledged the ties between Australia and the Philippines particularly on defense, maritime cooperation, non-traditional security concerns, trade and investment, development cooperation, multilateral collaboration and people-to-people linkages.

“Defense and security remain a key area of cooperation between the Philippines and of Australia. We look forward to amplifying our joint activities and the capacity-building efforts in this regard,” President Marcos said in a joint press conference with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese shortly after their bilateral meeting.

Marcos said they have also discussed about greater bilateral economic cooperation, which will allow both the Philippines and Australia to withstand shocks, to be resilient against economic coercion, and to provide enabling environment for businesses and labor markets.

He added that they both look forward to a more robust people-to-people ties to drive greater cooperation between the two countries and its peoples.

“The significant Filipino diaspora, the fifth largest immigrant community here in Australia, has contributed significantly to the economic and cultural wellbeing not only of our country, but yours as well,” President Marcos said.

“It is also an undeniable indicator of Australia’s openness to embrace a globalized and interconnected world. Both the Philippines and Australia welcome future consultations and dialogues as we explore and map the uncharted waters that can bring in new opportunities for a closer and stronger relationship between our two countries,” he added.

The President also reiterated the commitment of the Philippines as Australia’s Strategic Partner and as one of the country’s oldest friends in the region, assuring them of steadfast commitment to positive engagement with the ASEAN region.

He also wished Australia’s success in its upcoming hosting of the Special Summit to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of ASEAN-Australia Dialogue Relations next week as he looks forward to the active participation of the Philippines in the four important thematic tracks of the special summit.

At least three agreements were also signed during President Marcos’ visit to Canberra, aimed at enhancing information sharing, capability building, and interoperability between the relevant government agencies of the Philippines and Australia particularly in the maritime domain and maritime environment, cyber and critical technology and competition law.

“The three agreements add to the more than 120 agreements that our two countries have signed through the decades. And these are in various fields, including defense cooperation, air services, education, research, scientific and cultural cooperation, amongst others,” President Marcos said.

“The Prime Minister and I both agreed to continue to look for ways to explore every option possible, to bring our countries closer than ever and collectively, with optimism and hopeful outlook, to be a force of good, unity, stability, and prosperity in our region,” he added.

President Marcos is set to be back on February 29 from the two-day state visit to Australia. (PND)