PH, Germany agree to boost ties to promote rules-based order

President Marcos and German Federal Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius have agreed to strengthen security and defense ties between the Philippines and Germany to promote a rules-based international order.

This developed as Marcos met the German official in Malacañan on Monday morning, Aug. 5.

During their meeting, the President thanked Pistorius for his country's support for the Philippines.

"[We thank you for your] support and [we are] beyond grateful for Germany for continuing to support a rules-based international law that we all are abiding by," he said.

In response, Pistorius said ensuring security and stability in Asia and Europe was important.

"We work together, stand together to support rules-based international order," he said.

Meanwhile, the German official said Germany would like a defense agreement with the Philippines signed by the end of the year.

During his visit to Germany, President Marcos said the Philippines was seeking to expand their defense cooperation "beyond training" to cover cyber and maritime domains amid ongoing tensions in the West Philippine Sea.

"I expressed the Philippine government’s openness to discussions on cooperation that goes beyond training and into new areas such as cyber and maritime domains," he said.

Germany has been providing training for the AFP personnel since 1974, making Germany the Philippines' second-oldest formal defense partner.

During his meeting with German Chancellor Olad Scholz in March, Marcos said he expressed the country's appreciation for Germany’s continuous support for the capacity-building of the Philippine Coast Guard  (PCG). Before he arrived in Germany, a Joint Declaration of Intent on Strengthening Cooperation in the Maritime Sector between the two countries’ transport agencies was signed.

"I am heartened by Germany’s increased interest in enhancing maritime cooperation between our countries, and I welcome more initiatives to enrich this partnership," he said.

Marcos also thanked Scholz for Germany’s staunch support for international law, including the 1982  United  Nations  Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

"Our shared commitment to international law strengthens our partnership and creates a favorable atmosphere for working together on global issues," he said.

"I reiterated that the Philippines remains committed to addressing issues through dialogue and consultation, yet the Philippines, like any sovereign state, will continue to firmly defend its sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction, in accordance with international law," he added.