The Philippines and Brunei Darussalam have agreed to endorse peaceful resolution to any conflict in the Indo-Pacific region amid threats to international rules-based order.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said this was agreed upon during the discussions on maritime cooperation with His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah in their bilateral meeting on Tuesday.

Marcos is currently in Brunei for a two-day state visit.

“We talked about maritime cooperation. We talked about strengthening the partnership and streamlining the processes in BIMP-EAGA (Brunei Darussalam Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area). It was really more about trade,” Marcos said in a press briefing with the Philippine media delegation Wednesday.

“On the diplomatic side, the closest we came to any kind of defense agreement was really a diplomatic document that express[es] the understanding that we both endorse a peaceful resolution to any conflicts between our two countries and in the region,” he said.

Marcos and the Sultan witnessed on Tuesday the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on maritime cooperation between the Philippines and Brunei, which both sides agreed to further cooperation on wide ranging areas including pollution, skills training, research and information sharing.

Two other MOUs on tourism cooperation, and on Mutual Recognition of Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) certificates were also signed between the two Southeast Asian countries, along with the letter of intent to renew the MOU on food security and agricultural cooperation.

Marcos’ state visit to Brunei coincides with the 40th anniversary of the bilateral relations between the Philippines and the Sultanate. (PNA)