At A Glance
- The agreement is anchored on the 1974 Administrative Agreement concerning Training of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) personnel in Germany
- The agreement expands cooperation between the two defense and military establishments to the fields of cyber security, defense armaments and logistics, and UN peacekeeping
The Philippine government has signed a defense cooperation agreement with Germany as President Marcos pushed for further strengthening the country’s international ties, especially amid the current situation in the West Philippine Sea.
The Arrangement concerning Defense Cooperation was signed by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and German Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on May 14 in Berlin.
The agreement is anchored on the 1974 Administrative Agreement concerning Training of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) personnel in Germany, one of the longest defense cooperation frameworks of the Philippines with another country.
Teodoro said the agreement expands cooperation between the two defense and military establishments to the fields of cyber security, defense armaments and logistics, and UN peacekeeping.
After the signing, both defense ministers will convene the 3rd Philippines-Germany Security and Defense Staff Talks to review and concretize proposed joint activities and initiatives to be implemented under the said arrangement in the coming year.
Teodoro was in Berlin to attend the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting (UNPKMM) to reaffirm the Philippines' commitment towards global peace and security as one of the founding member-countries and a troop-contributing nation of the UN.
The Philippines has a current bid for a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council (UNSC), for which Teodoro expressed the country's readiness to play an active role in addressing global security concerns.