First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos joined President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in giving Paraguayan President Santiago Peña Palacios a warm Filipino welcome as the first leader of his country to visit the Philippines.

“It was a pleasure welcoming Paraguay’s President Santiago Peña to Malacañang for this historic first visit to the Philippines,” Mrs. Marcos wrote on her official Facebook account.

She praised Peña for sharing the common goal of creating opportunities for both Paraguayan and Filipino citizens, which is “a shared vision that transcends the thousands of miles between the two nations.”

“Though our countries may be far apart on the map, this visit was a beautiful reminder of how much Filipinos and Paraguayans share in common — warmth, hospitality, friendship, and the same hope for stronger partnerships and more opportunities for our people. Here’s to deeper ties and lasting friendship between our two countries,” she said.

President Marcos welcomed Peña as they explored ways to strengthen the cooperation in trade, agriculture, renewable energy, and tourism between the two countries.

Discussions highlighted opportunities to expand Philippine exports, including tuna, sardines, and bangus, and to open new avenues for economic collaboration that would benefit Filipino farmers, fisherfolk and businesses.

The two leaders also sealed a visa-waiver agreement for ordinary passport holders, which institutionalizes the mutual provision of visa-free entry privileges, facilitating business, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.