Marcos meets with Israel foreign minister for security, trade ties

Israeli Foreign Minister Eliyahu Cohen paid a courtesy call to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Monday for discussions aimed at strengthening the two countries' ties on defense, security, trade, among others.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Cohen's visit to Manila was the first made by an Israeli Foreign Minister since 1967. Cohen arrived in the country on Sunday for his two-day visit.

The DFA said Cohen had a separate bilateral meeting with Secretary Enrique Manalo wherein they discussed priority areas of cooperation.

“The relationship between the Philippines and Israel is a unique and enduring one, characterized by friendship, goodwill and strong people-to-people ties which predated the founding of the Israeli state,” Manalo said in a press release.

Manalo emphasized the need to expand cooperation in areas such as defense and security, tourism, trade and investment, agriculture, science and technology, and people-to-people ties.

In the past years, the Philippine military has been getting assistance from Israel when it comes to asset acquisition as part of its modernization program.

Meanwhile, Manalo also emphasized the importance of promoting peace and stability, as well as confidence-building with key partners in the region.

During the meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Environmental Protection was signed by Manalo and Cohen.

According to the DFA, the pact will provide opportunities for both Israel and the Philippines to share best practices in addressing common challenges related to the environment, preservation of ecosystems, disaster risk management, and promotion and dissemination of environmental technologies.—LDF, GMA Integrated News