JERUDONG, Brunei— President Marcos said there is "much potential" between the bilateral ties of the Philippines and Brunei that they can explore.

During his bilateral meeting with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah at the Istana Nurul Iman, the official residence of the Sultan, Marcos expressed his hopes to expand the Philippines' ties with Brunei.
He made the statement as both countries signed four deals covering agriculture, tourism, seafaring, and maritime cooperation on Tuesday, May 28, first day of his two-day state visit in the foreign country.
The President stressed that the Philippines and Brunei have continued active and close engagements in all areas of bilateral cooperation.
“And for that, we hope to expand the partnerships that we have begun and we feel that there is much potential that we can examine,” Marcos said.
“I think the MOUs (memoranda of agreement) that are being signed today that we shall witness, Your Majesty, will be a very good start to once again re-energize, and I think the areas that we have talked about – that we have paid attention to for these MOUs are certainly rich with potential,” he added.
The Chief Executive hopes that the partnership between the two countries will go beyond the signed MOUs and LOI.
For his part, the Sultan echoed what Marcos said, saying he is looking forward to further the two countries' friendship.
“Your state visit today is customary to our two countries to continue the friendship and ties. That's clear as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations. I believe that we are commemorating this significant occasion through visits,” the Sultan said.
“I'm looking forward to further enhancing our friendship in areas of future interest, which I believe will greatly benefit our countries and people,” he added.
Bolkiah further said that the economic ties and people-to-people exchange between the two nations continue to strengthen especially in ensuring mutually beneficial areas for the countries.
He added the signing of the three MOUs and the LOI “will foster deeper cooperation and understanding between” the Filipinos and Bruneians.
The diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Brunei span over 40 years since it was formalized on January 1, 1984.
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