By Priam Nepomuceno | Philippine News Agency
The Philippines and Germany have signed an “Arrangement concerning Defense Cooperation,” showcasing the growing security ties between the two nations.
Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and German Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius signed the agreement for their respective countries on Wednesday (Germany time), DND spokesperson ASec. Arsenio Andolong said in a statement on Thursday.
“The signing came after the visit of Defense Minister Pistorius to the Philippines in August 2024, wherein Secretary Teodoro and Minister Pistorius agreed to pursue an overarching framework to advance bilateral defense partnership, pursuant to President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s directive on strengthening the country’s international ties,” he added.
The arrangement builds 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.
It also expands cooperation between the two defense and military establishments in the fields of cyber security, defense armaments and logistics, and United Nations peacekeeping, among others.
“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,” Andolong said.
Teodoro is in Berlin to attend the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting 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, for which the DND chief expressed the country’s readiness to play an active role in addressing global security concerns.
