Department of National Defense (DND) Officer-in-Charge Jose Faustino Jr. talked about the situation in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) with European Union (EU) Ambassador to the Philippines Luc Véron during the latter's courtesy visit at the DND Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City recently.
In a statement Tuesday, Aug. 30, DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said both officials emphasized the need for countries to adhere to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), an international agreement that establishes a legal framework for all marine and maritime activities.
He said the defense chief and the top EU diplomat also agreed to help preserve the freedom of navigation and the peaceful settlement of disputes in the tension-filled waters.
"Ambassador Véron ensured that these principles remain in line with the EU's Indo-Pacific Strategy," Andolong said.
The Philippines has an ongoing territorial dispute with China in the WPS.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, Netherlands issued a ruling in favor of Manila which dismissed the excessive claims of Beijing in the WPS after it violated certain provisions of UNCLOS.
Despite this, the East Asian superpower refused to adhere to the international ruling and continued to assert its dominance in the area by building militarized artificial islands.
Aside from the WPS dispute, Faustino and Verón also talked about the ongoing bilateral relations between the EU and the Philippines, the EU's interest in defense and security cooperation with partner countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, and the EU's aid and assistance to the Philippines' disaster relief operations.
Véron alo shared the EU's commitment to work with ASEAN as he looks forward to receiving the Philippine delegation for the commemoration of the 45th ASEAN-EU Anniversary in Brussels, Belgium in December this year.