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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DND to sign defense cooperation pact with Germany next month

DND to sign defense cooperation pact with Germany next month

VFA talks with Canada, France finalized 'very soon'

Published Apr 30, 2025 02:12 pm
Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.jpg
Department of National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. (Photo: DND)

The Department of National Defense (DND) will sign a defense cooperation agreement with Germany next month as the national government forges partnerships with more “like-minded” nations to stop China’s aggression in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

DND Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said the tentative date for the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) is on May 14.

“We will be signing a memorandum of understanding with Germany on the 14th of May when I go there for a peacekeeping conference. Our engagements have a strategic bent in mind and they're all based initially on the acceptance of UNCLOS [United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea] and the acceptance of the Philippine position in the West Philippine Sea and the South China Sea,” Teodoro said on Wednesday, April 30.

Teodoro met with German Federal Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius in the Philippines on Aug. 4, 2024 where they both committed to concluding a broader defense agreement as both countries expressed a united stand to resist “unlawful” actions by China in the South China Sea.

The planned arrangement on defense cooperation will expand the scope of mutually beneficial cooperation between the Philippines and Germany into new areas in recognition of the security challenges that both countries face, including China’s aggression in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Meanwhile, the DND is also finalizing the discussions for the planned Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with Canada and France, which could be signed “very soon”.

Teodoro signed the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) with New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins on Wednesday.

“The signing of the VFA with Canada is tentatively scheduled soon, very soon. I think there is a notional date and we'll wait for the proper announcements to be made officially. Now with France, I hope we have already received the authority to negotiate a VFA with France and we will get to work as soon as possible,” the defense secretary said.

Last month, President Marcos Jr. has given his approval for the possible establishment of the VFA between the Philippines and France.

In the same month, negotiating panels from the Philippines and Canada concluded the negotiations for the proposed Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA). 

The agreements will establish a framework for increased cooperation between the Philippines and Canada and France, fostering closer collaboration between defense and military establishments, improving interoperability between forces, and facilitating more effective joint exercises and capacity-building activities.

Related Tags

PH-Germany Gilberto Teodoro Jr. PH-Canada PH-France ties DND VFA
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