General Andres Centino made his first major task as returning Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff on Tuesday, Jan. 10, when he met Turkish Ambassadori Niyazi Eyren Akyol.
Akyol paid a courtesy call on Centino at the AFP General Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, the first foreign diplomat to do so since the latter assumed as military chief last Saturday.
During their meeting, Centino expressed gratitude to Akyol for the significant contribution of the Government of Turkey to the AFP modernization.
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) purchased six units of T129 "ATAK" attack helicopters for P13.7 billion from Turkish Aerospace Industries, while the Philippine Army (PA) improved the firepower of its ACV-300 armored personnel carrier (APC) fleet through the M113 APC Firepower Upgrade Project with Turkey.
"Ambassador Akyol discussed the comprehensive defense industry of Turkey by presenting its defense competence in this modern era. He also extended Turkey’s commitment to continually assist the AFP in its modernization program," Col. Jorry Baclor, chief of AFP public affairs office, said.
Meanwhile, Centino raised the possibility of forging a broader military cooperation framework between the Philippines and Turkey.
In 2018, the Department of National Defense (DND) and its Turkish counterpart, the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB), signed an MOU on defense cooperation covering government-to-government acquisition, development, production, co-production, and transfer of defense technology.
Baclor explained that the existing memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two countries only covers defense industry cooperation.
By expanding the reach of the MOU, Baclor said it will enable both countries to "explore other areas which are not covered under the existing defense agreement."