Philippines, Cambodia strengthen ties | The Manila Times

The Philippines has reaffirmed its commitment to working with Cambodia to promote peace and prosperity in the region, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Chenda Sophea have agreed to strengthen bilateral ties between their countries.

Manalo and Sophea met on Tuesday to co-chair the 4th Philippines-Cambodia Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC).

Photo by DFA-OPD, Johannes Adrian De Guia

It was Sophea’s first visit to another member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It was also his first official bilateral visit.

“I am optimistic that strengthening our bilateral relations will benefit our people and the rest of the region,” Manalo said.

“I reaffirm the Philippines’ commitment to remain a steadfast partner of Cambodia and to work closely together to promote peace and prosperity in the region,” he said.

Manalo and Sophea noted that “bilateral relations between the Philippines and Cambodia are deepening and encouraged continued exchanges and interactions between senior officials. They also sought increased bilateral trade and tourism flows,” the DFA said in a statement.

They also pledged to strengthen cooperation in areas such as defence and security, the fight against cross-border crime, tourism, culture and sports, as well as exploring other areas such as health, environment and energy.

Foreign ministers were looking forward to signing an agreement on the avoidance of double taxation this year.

The two countries also committed to concluding, within a year, accelerated agreements on agriculture, labor, technical and vocational education, and the prevention of looting and illicit trafficking of cultural artifacts.

DFA Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs, Ms. Theresa Lazaro, co-chaired the meeting of senior officials from the JCBC with Undersecretary Ung Rachana of the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.