MANILA, March 7 — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he and Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad have shared views on various issues to further expansion of both countries’ mutual interests.
Speaking at a joint press conference here today, Duterte said among the issues were the commitment of both countries, two of Asia’s growth engines, to intensify two-way trade and investments to sustain progress and prosperity.
“Conscious of (the) synergy and dynamism of our private sectors, our governments have agreed to further enhance trade, investment and infrastructure development.
“I thanked the prime minister for Malaysia’s robust support for our ‘Build Build Build’ programme. This includes Malaysian companies’ active role in the development of the sustainable and smart metropolis of Clark Green City,” he said.
According to Duterte, he was also happy to share with Dr Mahathir the great strides the Philippines had achieved towards securing just and lasting peace in Mindanao.
“The road leading to the historic transition to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region was paved in large part by the support of our international partners. Malaysia occupies a prominent role in this roster of friends. The good work will have to continue,” he said.
Duterte also thanked the Dr Mahathir for Malaysia’s unrelenting support for development in the south, adding that Mindanao’s progress was the key for the Philippines and the BIMP-EAGA sub-region.
“I have personally seen significant headways that spurred and sustained economic communities in the BIMP-EAGA sub-region through active socio-cultural and economic interchange across borders and enhanced cooperation between customs, immigration, quarantine and security matters,” he said.
The president said both him and Dr Mahathir had also resolved to ramp up cooperation to address security issues, particularly on terrorism, piracy and transnational crimes, including the fight against the illegal drug trade. — Bernama
