MANILA — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is set to embark on an official visit to the Philippines next month, Malacañang said on Friday.

The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said Albanese will be in the country from Sept. 7 to 8, 2023, the first time an Australian prime minister would visit the country again since 2003.

Albanese, PCO said, is scheduled to meet President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Sept. 8.

• Envoy says Marcos Jr.'s Australia trip a 'private visit'

"It follows a series of high-level engagements earlier this year between the Philippines and Australia, underscoring the shared commitment of both nations to advance the trajectory of their multifaceted partnership," the PCO said in a release.

The meeting between Marcos and Albanese was seen to pave the way for a "new era of closer cooperation across key sectors, such as defense and security, trade, economic development, and maritime affairs," said the PCO.

This comes after the official visit of Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong in May this year, where she pledged that her government would provide the Philippine Coast Guard with drone technology.

• Australia to provide drone technology to PH Coast Guard to boost maritime capabilities

Wong's official visit also tackled bilateral cooperation on trade and investments, agriculture, maritime partnership, as well as countering terrorism and transnational crimes.

Last month, the Philippine and Australian naval forces kicked off their annual drills, just as Australia affirmed its support for the country’s arbitral victory on the West Philippine Sea.

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