President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meeting in New York. - PH media delegation pool
NEW YORK CITY (Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network): On the fourth day of his working visit here, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Wednesday (Thursday Sept 22 Manila time) met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for the first time on the sidelines of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to reinforce ties and strengthen cooperation, discussing how the two nations saw growth and deepened cooperation in addressing their security and defense priorities.
In particular, Marcos and Kishida tackled maritime security, maritime domain awareness, maritime law enforcement capacities, and peace in Mindanao.
“During their meeting, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to reinforce ties and strengthen cooperation in response to the challenges and opportunities in the regional security and economic landscape,” Angeles said in a statement.
Quoting the President, Angeles said Marcos Jr noted that 66 years since the normalisation of bilateral ties, the Philippines and Japan “have fostered one of the closest partnerships in the region.”
The President also shared his administration’s priorities, particularly in agriculture and food security, energy security, infrastructure development, and cybersecurity.
“Both sides exchanged views on bilateral, regional, and international concerns. Kishida reiterated Japan’s commitment to supporting the Philippines’ economic development to become an upper middle-income country,” Angeles said.
Both Marcos Jr and Kishida expressed confidence that bilateral cooperation in the next years “will lead to the further realization of the two countries’ common aspiration for regional peace and stability, and a better life for their peoples,” Angeles said.
Aside from Kishida, Marcos Jr on Tuesday also met with former Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom and discussed the peace process in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), food security, climate action, and trade.
Marcos likewise met with executives of US-based food corporation Cargill, which describes itself as one that “brings food, agricultural, financial and industrial products to people who need them all around the world.”
