President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday expressed his willingness to enhance bilateral cooperation between the Philippines and Zimbabwe, particularly in agriculture and education.

“I hope that we will find many things to explore,” he told Zimbabwean non-resident Ambassador-Designate to the Philippines Constance Chemwayi during her visit in Malacañang to present her credentials.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries were formally established on April 18, 1980.

President Marcos also expressed optimism over future visits of Chemwayi, who will be based in Malaysia, to further assess the potential between the two countries and to show her “the beauty of the Philippines.”

“I hope that your coming today will be the beginning of that close ties,” he said.

The envoy, in turn, is hopeful for additional knowledge that Zimbabwe can learn from the Philippines, citing that the former is now improving its agriculture and infrastructure sectors in line with the goal to become a middle-income country by 2030.

Marcos expressed readiness to help in this endeavor, noting that the Philippines is also prioritizing agriculture.

He said the government is now prioritizing not only the price and supply of agricultural products but also other inputs like fertilizer.

“So, I hope that we can find a way. We happen to have a very well-developed research and development and schools that have been actually the premier schools for agriculturists and agronomists here in Asia,” he said.

President Marcos also underscored the importance of forging an agreement with the government of Zimbabwe to rationalize and institutionalize efforts to boost the agricultural and education sectors of both countries. (PNA)