President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. welcoming New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Malacañang during the later’s three-day official visit to the Philippines from April 18-20, 2024. —photo by Yummie Dingding/PPA pool
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and New Zealand have agreed to strengthen its cooperation on political, security, defense, and labor among others, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo disclosed on Monday.
“We agreed to strengthen our existing mechanisms for cooperation on political, security and defense and labor, and to open new avenues for partnerships in trade and investment that leverage our respective strengths while promoting our national priorities, particularly on renewable energy and combating climate change,” said Manalo in a press conference.
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Along with Manalo was New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters who arrived in Manila for an official visit.
According to Manalo, he and Peters also welcomed the signing of the Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement (MLSA), a pivotal document that will greatly enhance future military engagements between our nations.
READ: New Zealand prime minister visits Marcos in Malacañang
“Affirming that the robustness of our bilateral relations is underpinned by our strong people-to-people links, we agreed to undertake more frequent exchanges of high-level visits, discuss ways to increase our connectivity through air flights and visas, and celebrate the commonalities of our culture and heritage,” Manalo added.
Prior to the joint press conference, Manalo and Peters witnessed the signing ceremony for the agreement between the Anti-Red Tape Authority of the Philippines and the New Zealand Trade Enterprise on Ease of Doing Business.
Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Peters’ visit is particularly significant as both countries anticipate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in July 2026.