Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri met with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Friday to discuss deeper engagements in economy and security.

“We are especially interested in engaging New Zealand in deeper economic and agricultural cooperation,” Zubiri said after a luncheon with Prime Minister Luxon in Fairmont Hotel in Makati City. Zubiri was with other senators and government officials as part of the delegation for the meeting.

“We have a lot to learn from New Zealand’s success as a global agricultural exporter. Coming from Bukidnon, which I always call the New Zealand of Mindanao, I am very eager to initiate more agricultural knowledge sharing, capacity building, and technology transfer initiatives between our countries,” Zubiri said.

He added that bilateral security cooperation was also discussed, with both leaders emphasizing the importance of a free and secure Indo-Pacific region.

The meeting follows agreements between President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Prime Minister Luxon to sign a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement and establish a Comprehensive Partnership.

Luxon acknowledged the interconnectedness of security issues and the economy in Southeast Asia, telling senators “What affects you, affects us.”

The Philippine delegation included Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, Minority Leader Koko Pimentel, Senator JV Ejecito, Senator Mark Villar, Senator Cynthia Villar, Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Anti-Red Tape Authority Director General Ernesto Perez, Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Jerome Oliveros, and Philippine Ambassador to New Zealand Kira Christianne Azucena.

Luxon, who is in the Philippines as part of his working trip across Southeast Asia, was accompanied by Simon Watts MP, Minister of Climate Change and Revenue, and Paulo Garcia MP, New Zealand’s first Member of Parliament to come from Filipino descent. (PNA)