Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. met with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on Sunday to discuss regional security issues, as well as ways to enhance cooperation between the Philippines and Germany.
The bilateral meeting between the two defense officials in Makati City marked Pistorius’ first official visit to the country, Mao dela Cruz reported on Super Radyo dzBB.
The meeting also coincided with the 70th year since the Philippines and Germany established diplomatic relations in 1954.
During President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s working visit to Berlin in March this year, the Philippine President said Germany had expressed “increased interest” in enhanced maritime cooperation with the Philippines.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, for her part, said China’s dangerous maneuvers against Philippine vessels in the South China Sea sparked concerns in Europe, noting that such actions violated international laws and impeded freedom of navigation.
On Tuesday, Teodoro and Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo also met with United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III at Camp Aguinaldo for the 4th Philippines-US Foreign and Defense Ministerial Dialogue.
They were expected to discuss defense, security, and economic cooperation, as well as the conclusion before year-end of a key information-sharing pact called the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA).
Blinken and Austin’s visit to Manila underscored Washington’s high-profile support for its longtime treaty ally at a time of heightened tensions between China and the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea, particularly in the Ayungin Shoal. — DVM, GMA Integrated News
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