President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday vowed to bolster bilateral relations between the Philippines and Sri Lanka during the latter's visit to Manila.

The two leaders made the commitment during their bilateral meeting at Malacañang Palace in Manila prior to attending the annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank's board of governors meeting at the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong City.

Wickremesinghe arrived in Manila on Wednesday evening to preside over the 55th meeting of the ADB governors.

On the official website of Sri Lanka's President's Media Division, it stated that Marcos and Wickremesinghe sought "new approaches" to enhance the ties between the two nations.

"Following their friendly conversation, the two leaders commenced their bilateral discussions. During this discussion, greater emphasis was placed on further strengthening the longstanding bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and the Philippines through new approaches," PMD's statement read.

Wickremesinghe, the PMD said, emphasized that the "long-standing" friendship between Sri Lanka and the Philippines would be promoted by developing Asian regional cooperation.

Meanwhile, Marcos called for closer collaboration to realize a "greener" and "more resilient future" in his keynote speech during the ADB event.

The Filipino leader reiterated that his administration is committed to ensuring the efficient and effective utilization of ADB's assistance for the full benefit of all Filipinos.

"While many things remain uncertain, one thing is for sure: We can no longer return to the way things were," he said.