The Philippines and Poland on Tuesday signed an agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters as the two countries moved to deepen cooperation in fighting cross-border crime and signaled readiness to negotiate an extradition agreement.

The signing took place after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s bilateral meeting with visiting Polish President Karol Nawrocki in Malacañang.

“Today, we witnessed the signing of the Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters,” Marcos said in his media statement after their bilateral meeting.

He said the two countries also “affirmed our readiness to commence negotiations on an extradition agreement.”

The agreement builds on an earlier pact on the transfer of sentenced persons that was signed in June this year.

Marcos said legal cooperation was among the key areas discussed during the bilateral meeting, alongside defense and security, trade and industry, agriculture, science and technology, ICT, energy and people-to-people ties.

The President said the Philippines and Poland are also working to strengthen cooperation in agriculture through trade, market access, sanitary and phytosanitary cooperation, agricultural technologies, research and education. (PNA)