MANILA -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Czech Republic President Petr Pavel on Thursday discussed ways to strengthen the bilateral cooperation and multilateral partnership between the Philippines and the Czech Republic.

In a joint press conference at the Octagon Hall, Prague Castle, President Marcos said he had a productive meeting with President Pavel, marking the beginning of the huge potential of cooperation in various areas of mutual interest between the two countries.

President Marcos said they explored opportunities for future partnership in trade and investment, agriculture, green economy and renewable energy, space and aerospace, education, tourism, defense, cybersecurity, and labor, among others.

“We discussed the potential in increasing the bilateral trade between our two countries,” President Marcos said.

“I also highlighted to the President the Philippines’ remarkable economic performance, that making it an attractive destination for Czech investments in the areas of IT-BPM, in electronics, manufacturing, food and agriculture, and automotive / EV manufacturing, amongst others,” he added.

The chief executive said he remains optimistic that the Philippines will be able to attract more Czech traders and investors to do business in the country “as a result of increased engagement” between the business sectors of the two countries.

President Marcos also said he is looking forward to the convening of the 2nd meeting of the Philippines-Czech Republic Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation (JCEC) in Manila later this year. (PND)