Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 4) — The European Union (EU) and the Philippines agreed to boost maritime cooperation over concerns on what they called unilateral actions in the region that endanger peace, security, and stability particularly in the South China Sea.
\”The EU and the Philippines agreed on the need to find peaceful solutions to conflicts, while respecting principles of international law and the UN Charter,\” a joint statement read.
\”They underscored their unwavering commitment to freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, and the importance of respecting the sovereign rights of states within their exclusive economic zones consistent with international law, in particular the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and its dispute settlement mechanisms, and the Arbitration Award rendered under UNCLOS on 12 July 2016,\” it added.
EU and Philippine officials held their third joint committee meeting on maritime security in Brussels, Belgium on June 30.
Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation on maritime matters by establishing an EU-Philippines Subcommittee on Maritime Cooperation. The EU Delegation was led by Gunnar Wiegand, managing director for Asia and the Pacific at the EEAS; while Theresa Lazaro, Foreign Affairs acting undersecretary for bilateral relations and ASEAN affairs, led the Philippine delegation.
Japan, PH eye new security collaboration
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro met with Japanese Ambassador Kazuhiko Koshikawa, with both sides vowing to explore new security collaboration.
\”Our growing bilateral relationship with the PH further deepened as promises of new security collaborations were explored! The productive meeting w/ Defense Sec. Teodoro solidified our commitment on advancing security cooperation and promoting peace & stability in the region,\” the Japanese envoy tweeted.
In a statement, the Department of National Defense also expressed gratitude to Japan as a reliable partner in the modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
“Japan and the Philippines have been closely working together to reinforce maritime domain awareness and maritime law enforcement for the stability of the South China Sea,” the embassy said in a previous statement.
