MANILA: Visiting Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa has praised the country's economic performance under the Marcos administration and conveyed the growing interest among Thai firms in expanding investments in the country. The official made the statement during his bilateral meeting with Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo in Makati City on Thursday. 'I expressed my admiration for the economic performance of the Philippines under President (Ferdinand) Marcos Jr. that has made the Philippines one of the fastest-growing economies in the region,' he said. In a press conference, Sangiampongsa said Bangkok is committed to further increasing the volume of trade and investments with Manila, and sought the Philippine government's continued support for Thai investors. He said Thailand is also keen to increase cooperation on trade facilitation, renewable energy and food security, among others. Meanwhile, he floated the need to further expand flight routes between Thailand and the Philippines to boost t wo-way tourism, specifically between Cebu and Phuket. READ: Thailand wants PH as partner on food tourism promotion Within the region, Sangiampongsa said Bangkok will 'step up cooperation' with Manila to advance the next stage of ASEAN economic integration, especially in digital economies and sustainable development. On top of economic relations, the two countries also sought to collaborate closely against transnational crimes, including trafficking and cybercrimes in Southeast Asia. Sangiampongsa said Thailand will push for coordinated ASEAN-wide actions to crack down on this criminal network and provide assistance to victims. To recall, Filipino nationals have fallen victims to illegal recruiters operating in Southeast Asia when they were initially promised jobs as customer service representatives (CSR) but were forced transfer to work as love scammers online. Last May, nine Filipinos recruited as scammers in Myanmar and Laos were repatriated back to the Philippines. Source: Philippines News Agency