Marcos arrives in Canberra for two-day state visit

Marcos arrives in Canberra for two-day state visit

MANILA, Philippines: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrived in Canberra on Wednesday afternoon for a two-day state visit, which aims to strengthen the bilateral ties between the Philippines and Australia.

The President is accompanied by First Lady Marie Louise “Liza” Araneta-Marcos and the Philippine delegation.

The plane carrying the President and the First Lady arrived at 7:20 p.m local time (4:11 p.m in Manila) at the Royal Australian Air Force Fairbairn in Canberra, the Presidential Communications Office said in a text message.

The President is scheduled to address on Thursday, February 29, the Australian Parliament to discuss the vision for the Philippines and Australia’s strategic partnership.

The partnership, which enhanced the bilateral relations from a Comprehensive Partnership in 2015, was signed in September last year during the visit of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to the country.

Marcos will be the first Filipino leader to address the Australian lawmakers, according to the Palace.

“As part of this visit, I will have the opportunity to address the Parliament of Australia and provide greater detail on the commitments that we place in this partnership and our vision for the future of the Philippines,” Marcos said in his departure speech.

During the visit, Marcos will also meet with Australian senior officials to discuss defense and security, trade, investments, people-to-people exchanges, multilateral cooperation, and regional issues.

The President will return to Australia on Sunday for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – Australia Summit.