The Canadian government remains confident to finish negotiations for a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the Philippines in the “coming months,” according to Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines David Hartman.
According to earlier reports, Hartman disclosed that both countries have already exchanged drafts and texts of the agreement.
“We’re much more optimistic that we will be able to conclude far more quickly, and we really are hoping to advance in the coming months,” Hartman declared.
“The reality is, we’ve already exchanged text drafts, frankly, what we would want to achieve and articulate or codify with the Philippines is very comparable to what any like-minded partner or ally would also. So we don’t have to reinvent the will,” he added.
Canada and the Philippines signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation Memorandum at the start of the year, enabling both countries to cooperate on military training exchanges, peacekeeping operations, and disaster response.
