He was accompanied by officials of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a delegation of top Czech businessmen.

            H.E. Karel Schwarzenberg went on a courtesy call to President Benigno Aquino III and had meetings with along with top government officials of the Philippines, namely Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert del Rosario, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Senator Loren Legarda, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., and Chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Rep. Al Francis Bichara. Meetings with key officials from the Department of Trade and Industry, National Defense, and Department of Transportation and Communication.

            The 3-day official visit hopes to further boost the already excellent bilateral relations between the Philippines and the Czech Republic.

            The Czech Republic is the Philippines’ 24^th largest export market in the world and 8^th largest in Europe.