Manila and Berlin on Sunday committed to conclude a broader arrangement on Defense cooperation which will expand scope of mutually beneficial ties between two countries.
German Federal Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr met in Manila for a bilateral meeting, marking the first ever visit to the Philippines by a German Federal Defense Minister.
“Recognizing the wide array of opportunities for enhancing bilateral defense relations in light of security challenges that both countries face, the Ministers committed to conclude a broader Arrangement on Defense Cooperation, which will expand the scope of mutually beneficial cooperation between the Philippines and Germany into new areas,“ the joint statement reads.
The two defense chiefs also discussed trends in the security environment and exchanged views on regional issues in the Indo-Pacific and Eastern Europe.
Both Ministers emphasized the importance of advocating for principled and sustainable peace that is firmly anchored on international law.
They also strongly opposed any unilateral attempt to advance expansive claims, especially through force or coercion.
The Ministers reaffirmed their staunch commitment to freedom of navigation, overflight, and other peaceful uses of the seas consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and agreed to continue promoting the comprehensive implementation of UNCLOS as the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out.
“Against the background of concerted efforts to deepen bilateral relations in a comprehensive manner, the Ministers expressed their unwavering commitment to the revitalization of Philippines-Germany defense relations, recalling that Germany is one of the Philippines’ oldest formal defense partners through the 1974 Administrative Agreement concerning Training of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Personnel in Germany,” the statement continued.
The meeting coincides with the 70th anniversary of Philippines-Germany diplomatic relations, which was formally established in 1954.
