JAKARTA - France and the Philippines will "take concrete steps" to improve their defense ties, including starting talks on defense deals and considering troop visit agreements.
French Defense Minister Sebastian Lecornu met with Philippine Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro Jr, Saturday (2/12), and produced a letter of intent (LoI) which revealed "its availability to increase levels of interaction and consolidate their communications through practical cooperation."
"We intend to take concrete steps to improve and make our defense cooperation more comprehensive, especially by seeking authorization from heads of state and related institutions to initiate negotiations on troop visit agreement status," Teodoro said at a press conference in Taguig City, citing Antara, Sunday.
The Philippines has a troop visit agreement with the United States and Australia, which provides a legal framework for the presence of a country in another country. In November, the Philippines decided to start negotiations on a similar agreement, called the Balik-Balind Access Agreement, with Japan.
Teodoro and Lecornu are also committed to increasing engagement, among others, in disaster risk reduction and resilience, defense technology and combating non-traditional threats.
Teodoro said they discussed potential opportunities in defense industry cooperation and "other strategic investment areas" that have security dimensions. He and Lecornu also agreed to maintain visits and cooperation between their navys.
"I feel it has been a long time since bilateral relations have not progressed, especially in the field of defense and security. This event is a starting point for us which will be a way to get a routine milestone of a practical agenda that will be of the interest of our country and shared security," Lecornu said.
Regarding maritime security, the two ministers reaffirmed Paris and Manila's compliance with the United Nations Convention on Maritime Law while recalling the 2016 Arbitration Decision on the South China Sea.
"Both countries have independent foreign policies and we respect this and we agree to seek common values, work together, not only in the South China Sea but also in the Pacific Raya region where France is also present," said Teodoro.
The two officials also discussed regional security issues, including the dangers of "uncontrolled proliferation of nuclear weapons" and the need to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula, the Middle East, and Europe.
Lecornu's visit follows the commitment of French President Emmanuel Macron and Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to enhance the strategic partnership between France and the Philippines.
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