MANILA -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday reaffirmed diplomatic ties with Australia and will continue to be one of the closest ally of the Philippines.
“Australia remains, and will continue to be, one of our closest friends. In the spirit of bayanihan and mateship, we shall forge ahead in fully maximizing the potentials and the gains from this Strategic Partnership between our two forward-looking, law-abiding maritime states,” President Marcos said in his arrival statement following his state visit to Australia.
President Marcos took a two-day state visit to Australia from February 28-29 upon the invitation on Governor-General David Hurley.
The chief executive referred to the visit as a significant step in realizing the opportunities and potential set forth under the framework of the Strategic Partnership between the Philippines and Australia.
The Philippines elevated its bilateral relationship with Australia from comprehensive to a Strategic Partnership during the visit of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to the Philippines in September last year.
“Following the visit of Prime Minister Albanese to our country last September, we have seen an increased tempo in bilateral engagements in various areas of cooperation, most prominent of which is our recent closer collaboration on defense and security,” President Marcos said as he thanked Australia for its support in the South China Sea issue.
During his visit, President Marcos addressed the Australian Parliament where he highlighted the Philippines’ steadfast support for regional peace and harmony.
“I conveyed to Australian legislators the important role of both our countries as proponents of the rules-based international order and its significance amidst the present complexities in global geopolitics,” Marcos said.
“As democratic maritime nations, access to the global commons such as the oceans and the seas must be ensured and safeguarded.”
The President also underscored the importance of “a mutually-beneficial economic relationship” with Australia, and acknowledged the role of the long-standing people-to-people ties of the two countries.
He also had a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, where they discussed other cooperation that the Philippines and Australia can undertake particularly on trade, investment, and security.
President Marcos also mentioned his brief discussions with the Australian legislators, including the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives, as well as the leader of the opposition.
“Their support is instrumental in developing an enabling policy environment for the continuous upward orientation of our bilateral relations,” Marcos said.
The President also reported the signing of three agreements covering issues of maritime domain, cyber and critical technology, and effective implementation of the respective competition laws and policies of the two countries. (PND)
