President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. in Germany. (PHOTO: Official facebook page of Bongbong Marcos)
PRAGUE – Amid China’s recent aggression and maneuvers in the South China Sea, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Thursday said the Philippines will continue to engage stakeholders in the territorial row “through diplomacy and dialogue.”
Following a tete-a-tete and bilateral meeting with Czech President Petr Pavel at the Prague Castle on Thursday morning, Marcos was unwavering in his stance that the Philippines’ position on the territorial row remains “consistent, clear, and firmly anchored” on international law.
In a joint press conference with Pavel, Marcos said he briefed the Czech President on the situation in the West Philippine Sea – the part of the South China Sea which is part of the country’s exclusive economic zone.
“While it is unfortunate that there are persistent incidents of aggression and harassment in the South China Sea, we continue to engage all our neighbors and stakeholders through diplomacy and dialogue,” he said.
“I underscored the Philippine position on the South China Sea remains consistent, clear, and firmly anchored on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” Marcos added.
He also thanked Pavel for the Czech Republic’s support “as a like-minded partner, in upholding peace, stability, and the rules-based international order” in the South China Sea dispute.
The President’s remarks on Thursday were the latest in a series of assertions of the Philippines’ claim over the West Philippine Sea that he made in his visits to Germany and now the Czech Republic.
He is in Prague for a three-day state visit upon the invitation of Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala.