Canada and the Philippines sign an agreement for defense cooperation.

 Canada and the Philippines sign an agreement for defense cooperation.


The defense minister in Manila stated that the signing of a memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation by the Philippines and Canada on Friday could eventually result in a troop agreement between the two nations.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro stated in a statement, "I'm glad to hear that there is a strong intention on both sides to deepen and strengthen the relationships by forging new milestones in our defense relations to culminate, perhaps, with the Visiting Forces Agreement."


Teodoro did not specify the nature of a potential VFA with Canada; however, the Philippines already has a VFA with the US that permits the movement of thousands of US soldiers in and out of the country for war games and drills.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the memorandum will expedite collaboration between the military and defense establishments in both nations for military education, training exchanges, information exchange, peacekeeping missions, and disaster relief.

Our greatest assets are our mutual confidence and trust in one another, Teodoro continued. "This trust is strengthened by the fact that we conduct business with one another in an honest, transparent, and rule-based manner, and it will endure political shifts and the passage of time."

Canada has stood behind the Philippines against China's growing assertiveness in the South China Sea, supporting the Permanent Court of Arbitration's 2016 decision that China's claims in the region lacked legal foundation. China disputes that conclusion.

The October agreement between the Philippines and Canada to utilize Ottawa's Dark Vessel Detection (DVD) system to combat illicit, unreported, and unregulated fishing by vessels that have turned off their location transmitters to avoid detection was followed by the signing of the memorandum.

The Philippines has seen multiple maritime conflicts with China in its exclusive economic zones and territorial waters; the DVD system will also improve the country's knowledge of its maritime domain.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  Six T-129 "Atak" helicopters have been delivered to PAF by a Turkish company. Six T-129 "Atak" assault helicopters have been delivered by Turkish Aerospace Industries to the Philippine Air Force (PAF). The delivery of the six T-129s is part of Horizon 2 of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Modernization Program. Its contract, signed on July 20, 2020, is worth $269 million. All-weather assault helicopter with two engines, tandem seats, and several roles equipped with a range of weapons, missiles, rockets, sensors, and targeting systems is the T-129. It can go 250 nautical miles at a speed of 120 mph. In addition to the two T-129s, the PAF will commission an air surveillance radar system manufactured in Japan that it purchased from Mitsubishi Electric Corporation. This equipment is covered under a P5.5 billion contract.
Read more
Image
  US Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle Arrives in Subic Bay, Philippines. America's cutting-edge Unmanned Combat Aircraft arrives in the Philippines' Port of Subic Bay!
Read more

China's ships need to leave the West Philippine Sea, according to NGOs

Image
 China's ships need to leave the West Philippine Sea, according to NGOs Militant organizations demanded on Tuesday that China renounce its claims to islands based on false sovereignty and remove its ships from the West Philippine Sea (WPS). During a demonstration in front of the Chinese consulate in Makati City, at least 150 representatives from various cause-oriented organizations made the call in opposition to Beijing's aggression against Filipino fishermen in Panatag Shoal and other regions of the nation's 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone, or EEZ. Speaking on behalf of Pilipinong Nagkakaisa para sa Soberanya, Antonio Tinio stated that China should remove all of its ships—including its coast guard, navy, and maritime militia—from the nation's territorial seas. "We demand that they take down the military installations they have erected in our waterways on man-made reefs. This is essential to reducing regional tensions, he declared in a statement. Accordin
Read more