By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos | Philippine News Agency
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is expected to meet with top German and Czech government and business leaders during his visits to Germany and the Czech Republic from March 11 to 15, Malacañang said Thursday.
Marcos will embark on a working visit to Germany upon the invitation of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and is expected to meet the latter in Berlin, the Palace said in a statement.
On the other hand, Marcos will make a state visit to the Czech Republic upon the invitation of Czech President Petr Pavel.
Malacañang said Marcos is scheduled to meet with the four heads of the Czech government, including Pavel, Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Senate President Miloš Vystrčil, and Parliament Chamber of Deputies President Markéta Pekarová Adamová.
“This endeavor seeks to strengthen bilateral relations and foster increased cooperation with the two nations,” it said.
The Palace said Marcos would also hold a meeting with prominent business leaders in Germany and the Czech Republic to bolster trade and investment opportunities.
It added that Marcos would also meet with the Filipino communities in the two Central European countries to “personally share his administration’s plans and programs for the OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) and reaffirm the Philippine government’s commitment to supporting Filipinos worldwide.”
“The visits come at a significant juncture as the Philippines just celebrated the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations with the Czech Republic last year and will commemorate the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Germany this year,” Malacañang said.
Marcos’ upcoming visits to the two nations follow the visits to Manila of Fiala in April 2023 and German Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in January 2024.
The Philippines and Germany established their diplomatic relations on Oct. 8, 1954.
Germany is the Philippines’ top trading partner in the European Union. In 2022, it ranked as the Philippines’ 12th largest trading partner, 10th as an export market, and 15th as an import supplier.
The Philippines’ total trade with Germany reached US$4.7 billion in 2022, with US$2.8 billion in exports and US$1.9 billion in imports.
Meantime, the Philippines and the Czech Republic formally established their diplomatic relations on Oct. 5, 1973.
The Czech Republic ranked as the Philippines’ 39th trading partner, 28th export market, and 47th import supplier in 2022, with total bilateral trade amounting to US$303.21 million.
