Manalo emphasized that his country and Poland share a “respect for principles and the rule of law.”

Sikorski on Monday started a four-day diplomatic trip to southeast Asia, a tour that takes in Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

The Polish foreign minister acknowledged that while relations between his country and the Philippines are friendly, they have not always been as robust as they could be.

Despite the geographical distance, he pointed out that Poland and the Philippines face similar challenges.

“We are located in regions where tensions are running high. We have strong neighbors with regime-like tendencies. We are good allies to the USA, and both have a Catholic legacy, which means that together we could do more,” he noted.

Sikorski was accompanied on his visit by Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Zalewski and Deputy Agriculture Minister Michał Kołodziejczak.

He said that their presence was a reflection of how Poland “treats the visit seriously and wants the mutual relations to be pragmatic.” He also announced that more diplomatic engagements at various levels of government would follow.

Sikorski mentioned that he had recently applied for Poland to join the “high contracting parties” to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia and expressed hope that Manila would support Warsaw’s bid.

He also pledged that Poland would work to strengthen ties between the Philippines and the European Union during Poland’s EU presidency in 2025.

“We are very glad that the Black Hawk helicopters we sold to the Philippines a few years back are still flying,” Sikorski joked, adding that, weather permitting, he would “personally test-fly” an American Black Hawk manufactured in Poland.

Sikorski also touched on other issues, including the need to foster greater business cooperation between the two countries.