The Philippines and Germany have formalized a new defense cooperation arrangement, signed in Berlin on Wednesday, the Department of National Defense (DND) announced on Thursday.
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and German Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius outlined plans to develop a framework for enhancing bilateral defense collaboration.
According to the DND, this agreement builds upon the 1974 Administrative Agreement, which focused on training Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) personnel in Germany.
The new arrangement broadens the scope of cooperation to include areas such as cybersecurity, defense armaments, logistics, and United Nations (UN) peacekeeping initiatives.
Following the signing, both leaders are set to convene the 3rd Philippines-Germany Security and Defense Staff Talks. The talks aim to finalize proposed joint activities under the arrangement for the coming year.
Teodoro’s visit to Berlin also included his participation in the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting, where he reaffirmed the Philippines’ dedication to global peace and security.
As a founding member and troop-contributing nation of the UN, the Philippines remains steadfast in its commitment to international peacekeeping efforts.
The Philippines is currently pursuing a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, with Teodoro expressing the nation’s readiness to address pressing global security challenges, the DND added.