President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the long-standing friendship between Sri Lanka and the Philippines would be promoted by developing Asian regional cooperation.

The president said this during his meeting with the President of the Philippines Ferdinand R. Marcos in Manila this morning (29).

The Philippine President accorded a rousing welcome to President Wickremesinghe upon his arrival at the Malacanang Palace.

Following their friendly conversation, the two leaders commenced their biateral discussions.

During this discussion, greater emphasis was placed on further strengthening the longstanding bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and the Philippines through new approaches.

Senior Adviser to the President on National Security and Chief of Presidential Staff Sagala Ratnayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardena, Sri Lankan Ambassador to the Philippines Shobini Gunasekera and the Sri Lankan delegation were present on this occasion.