PH deepens defense ties with Singapore, Australia
The Philippines, Singapore, and Australia commit to bolstering strategic defense partnerships in the region as defense chiefs from those countries meet at the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue.
Philippine Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro first met with Singapore Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing as they underscored the importance of strengthening defense cooperation through increased training engagements.
During the meeting, Teodoro expressed the country's interest in learning from Singapore's experience operating the C-130J aircraft, especially in the areas of operations, maintenance, and cost-efficiency.
Minister Chan then invited Philippine special forces to conduct trainings in Singapore. He also expressed interest in reciprocal opportunities for Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) troops in the Philippines.
Teodoro also met Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles.
Teodoro noted the growing momentum in trilateral defense engagements involving the Philippines, Australia, and the United States.
Minister Marles, meanwhile, praised the evolving defense relationship and stressed the need to translate longstanding people-to-people connections into a strong strategic and defense partnership.
The bilateral engagements concluded with a shared commitment to promoting regional stability, strengthening defense cooperation, and exploring new avenues of collaboration in logistics, HADR, personnel exchanges, and capability development. —VAL, GMA Integrated News
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