New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs Winston Peters pays a courtesy call on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at Malacañang on Tuesday, June 11. | PPA pool – Ryan Baldemor
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met with New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs Winston Peters on Tuesday at Malacañang.
Peters paid a courtesy call on Marcos just weeks after New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met with the President during an official visit to the country.
READ: New Zealand prime minister visits Marcos in Malacañang
“Well, Mr. Prime Minister, I’m, of course, very pleased to be able to welcome you to Manila after the very good visit that your new Prime Minister had here with us just a few weeks ago,” Marcos said in welcoming Peters in Malacañang, according to a statement released by the Presidential Communications Office.
“And at which time they — we agreed on many things, and one of which was that the situation in our part of the world requires that, shall we say, the smaller countries get together and have a response or a joint positioning when it comes to these geopolitical issues that we are — this complicated geopolitical issues that we are facing,” he added.
According to Marcos, he and Luxon tackled other matters such as agriculture, trade, and possible investments, as well as the ongoing current expansions and operations in New Zealand.
He told Peters to keep in touch with some Filipino government officials, as well as the private sector “to develop some of these ideas that we spoke about with your Prime Minister.”
“So, I am happy that you’re able to come here and in the time that you’re here, I hope that you’ll be able to be in touch with some of our officials and also those in the private sector to develop some of these ideas that we spoke about with the Prime Minister,” Marcos said to Peters.
For his part, Peters thanked the President for the warm welcome and shared that he and Luxon have had “very productive talks” after the latter’s visit to Manila.