MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - President Benigno Aquino III and visiting Singaporean President Tony Tan Keng Yam agreed today to bolster bilateral relations between their countries.
Aquino welcomed Tan, who is on his four-day state visit here, in Malacanang, the presidential palace.
"Our two countries share a history of friendship and common ideals. The president and I engaged in fruitful discussions on how our relations can be further strengthened, towards expanding areas of cooperation and solidarity," Aquino said after his meeting with Tan.
He said the Philippines proposed the holding of a "Defense Dialogue" to strengthen the two countries' defense and security cooperation.
"I believe that strengthening defense and security cooperation between the Philippines and Singapore is key to maintaining regional stability," Aquino said, adding that the country welcomes the opportunity to host this year's Asian Defense and Security exhibit on July 16 to 18.
The two leaders also discussed the revival of the Philippines- Singapore Action Plan, as a mechanism for expanding bilateral discussions between the two countries.
The Action Plan provides a consolidated framework for strengthening bilateral cooperation, covering expansive areas including trade and investments, information technology, education, culture, defense, and people-to-people exchanges.
Aquino said he also discussed the expansion of cooperation with Singapore in the fields of infrastructure and construction, tourism facilities, information technology-business process management, shipbuilding, logistics services, and agribusiness.
Tan, for his part, congratulated the Philippines for the forging of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on March 27.
"This is a momentous accomplishment and a testament to the leadership and efforts of President Aquino and his administration in brokering peace and stability for the Philippines and the region," he said.
Tan also pledged to work closely with the Philippine government to promote the interest of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
"As founding members of ASEAN, Singapore and the Philippines share a common vision of building a strong, united, and stable ASEAN community," he said.
This is Tan's first official visit to the Philippines and serves as a reciprocal visit to Aquino's state visit to Singapore in 2011.
Singapore was the Philippines' fourth largest trade partner last year, with total trade amounting to $8.22 billion.