MANILA — The Czech Republic will send a trade mission to the Philippines to drum up investments and defense cooperation, its new envoy has said.

Ambassador Karel Hejč said the Czech Republic sees opportunities in the Philippines and they “just need to grab them.”

This includes, Hejč said, possible partnership on defense and security as well as other investments. Some officials and businessmen from the European nation may also visit the country in 2024, he added.

“I’m pleased to mention that just in the next year, we will start here with the visit of the foreign committee of our parliament on so much important defense and security issues of the regional geopolitics,” Hejč told President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. in Malacañang during his credentials presentation Tuesday.

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“But later on in the year, we plan on bringing our minister of agriculture to Manila and to the Philippines… our ministers travel accompanied with business delegations. So, carefully selected companies that are interested in doing business with the Philippines, with the Filipino companies, and investing in Philippines,” he added.

Hejč said aside from war instruments, arms, and ammunition, they also offer small tractors, fighter jets, maintenance and upgrades.

Czech industries are also interested to work with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard, he said.

 Marcos Jr: Maritime security ‘a very thorny problem’

Marcos, Jr. noted the importance of defense and security ties, “considering a very thorny regional problem that the country is facing,” the Palace release read.

“Your country has already been of assistance to us in proposing some vessels that we could use for the securing of our maritime waters, our maritime territory. And as you must know that this is becoming a very thorny problem that we are facing,” said Marcos.

“Not only the Philippines but I think the entire region, even extending up to the Indo-Pacific. So, there’s much that we need to attend to but I think that if we are able to have close partners and alliances, that will always be a very important part of our foreign policy,” he said.

Czech Republic Prime Minister Petr Fiala was in the Philippines in April for an official visit.

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The Presidential Communications Office said the European country ranks as the country’s 39th largest trading partner in 2022, with bilateral trade reaching $303.21 million.

More than 4,800 Filipinos were based in the Czech Republic as of last December. Many of them work in the processing industry, automotive industry, appliance repairs and manufacturing.

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