President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonyte vowed to uphold international rules to promote peace and security.
Facing challenges from their respective neighbors—China for the Philippines and Russia for Lithuania—both leaders emphasized the importance of adhering to international law.
“Over a hundred years that we have been in contact in informal trade that has been going on. It’s still not balanced…all we want really, is the promotion of peace and the national interest,” President Marcos told Prime Minister Simonyte in a bilateral meeting in Singapore.
President Marcos stressed the necessity of a clear stance within international law to navigate geopolitical challenges.
“The only way that we can navigate through all of these is to find ourself, plant ourself very clearly within international law, and within the rules-based order, within the agreements that most nations are made, with one another when it comes to the resolution of these kind of differences,” he added.
Šimonyte supported President Marcos’ stance, highlighting the significance of international law for smaller states.
“Absolutely. I think that, you know, small states matter. That will be my message tomorrow on the panel but not only small states matter, international law matter because this is a safety network for small states,” she said.
The leaders also discussed political cooperation, economic collaboration, and regional and global issues, including those in the Indo-Pacific region, aiming to strengthen their support for international law and global peace.
Department of National Defense Gilbert Teodoro meanwhile met with Lithuania, Canada, and New Zealand defense ministers at the sidelines of the 2024 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
Teodoro met with Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas, who offered cybersecurity training and other military cooperation. Teodoro directed officials to explore a memorandum of understanding with Lithuania.
In talks with Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair, both leaders reaffirmed their countries’ enduring friendly relations. Blair praised the Philippines’ alliances with the US, Japan, and South Korea.
“Canada has a major role to play in the Indo-Pacific region,” Teodoro said.
New Zealand’s Defense Minister Judith Anne Collins expressed concern over the West Philippine Sea, advocating for increased Indo-Pacific engagement. The two defense chiefs discussed augmenting cooperation in engineering and logistics.
Teodoro emphasized that the Philippines is not causing the regional issues.
These meetings followed President Ferdinand Marcos’ keynote at the Shangri-La Dialogue, addressing the Philippines’ stance on the hotly contested West Philippine Sea.
