President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has committed to strengthening the bilateral ties between the Philippines and Cambodia.

Marcos met with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok Chenda Sophea at the Malacañan Palace on Tuesday where he emphasized the importance of continued cooperation with Cambodia and other member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

“I hope we can continue this. We will foster this relationship and continue to improve the relationship that we have had for many, many years,” Marcos said, as quoted in a Presidential Communications Office (PCO) news release Wednesday.

The President noted that the Philippines has been keen on undertaking partnerships and cooperation extending to other allied states across the globe.

The Philippines and Cambodia have maintained cordial ties since the resumption of diplomatic relations in 1995.

Sok is in the country to co-chair the 4th Meeting of the Cambodia-Philippines Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) in the Philippines at the invitation of Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo.

The two-day meeting aims to assess the progress in implementing the agreements reached by the two countries during the 3rd Meeting of the Cambodia-Philippines JCBC in December 2021.

This is the first bilateral visit of the Cambodian official to an ASEAN country as the head of delegation and as Cambodian Foreign Minister since 2017. (PNA)