Manila: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday expressed his intent to further deepen the Philippines' economic, defense, and diplomatic ties with the Czech Republic. In a meeting with Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochov¡ at Malaca±an Palace in Manila, Marcos expressed optimism about closer cooperation and collaboration between the two nations.

According to Philippines News Agency, Marcos conveyed his enthusiasm for the future of Philippine-Czech relations across various sectors, including people-to-people interactions, economic engagements, defense and security, as well as diplomatic and government-to-government connections. He emphasized that numerous opportunities exist for the two countries to work together and explore new areas of cooperation.

Marcos extended his gratitude to Cernochov¡ for her visit to the Philippines, viewing it as a testament to the strengthening relations between Manila and Prague following his own visit to the Czech Republic in March 2024. Cernochov¡, on her part, expressed admiration for the Filipino people, highlighting their qualities of being nice, kind, and hardworking.

During Marcos' visit to the Czech Republic in March last year, he met with Czech Republic President Petr Pavel to discuss bilateral engagements. The discussions centered on potential partnerships in areas such as trade and investment, agriculture, the green economy and renewable energy, space and aerospace, education, tourism, defense, cybersecurity, and labor.

A significant outcome of the visit was the signing of the Joint Communiqu© on Labor Consultations Mechanism, which aims to protect the rights of Filipino workers in the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic hosts more than 7,000 Filipinos employed in sectors like the processing industry, automotive, repairs and appliances, manufacturing, IT communications, real estate, health/wellness, and household services.