Marcos, Carney announce boost in PH-Canada ties

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday announced the "elevation" of bilateral ties between Philippines and Canada.

Marcos and Carney discussed the possible strategic partnership between the two countries after a one-on-one meeting and expanded bilateral talks between the two delegations.

Both leaders also witnessed the signing of the Joint Declaration of Intent on Energy and Natural Resources Cooperation, along with agreements on tourism, culture, and labor and migration, aimed at deepening people-to-people ties.

Photo from PCO

Marcos and Carney have also tasked their Foreign Ministers to draft a Plan of Action, building on recent defense and security milestones including the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement signed in Manila last November and the Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement.

"The Philippines and Canada are in full agreement about the necessity of these bilateral and multilateral agreements that we have spoken about. With the volatility in the geopolitical world in the past years, I think it is a necessary development, not only for Canada and the Philippines, but for other like-minded countries," said Marcos.

President Marcos also thanked Canada for its support on the rules-based order in the South China Sea as the Philippines marks 10 years since the 2016 Arbitral Award. —VAL, GMA News