Metro Manila, Philippines— The Philippines and Vietnam are poised to sign a defense cooperation deal before the end of the year, Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro said on Friday, Aug. 30.
The announcement followed a bilateral meeting between Teodoro and Vietnamese Minister of Defense General Phan Van Giang in Manila.
“We agreed to continue and enhance military-to-military cooperation across the naval, air, and land force spheres,” said Teodoro
“We aim to sign a memorandum on defense cooperation within this year, hopefully in time for the 80th founding anniversary of the Vietnamese armed forces,” he said.
The anniversary of the Vietnamese armed forces is in December.
Manila and Hanoi reaffirmed their commitment to cooperation amid conflicting claims in the South China Sea.
Teodoro said both sides will continue working on maritime security, cybersecurity, disaster response, and defense industries.
“We do have bilateral issues, but this does not prevent us from working together to resolve them peacefully and fairly under the aegis of international law. As we face common threats, we will address them in the spirit of ASEAN solidarity,” he added.
Phan urged all parties to resolve disputes peacefully and adhere to international law.
He reiterated Vietnam’s call for the conclusion of the South China Sea Code of Conduct.
“We also discussed the global and regional situation and issues of mutual interest. Both sides stressed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, safety, and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, also known as the West Philippine Sea or the South China Sea,” Phan said.
Neither side mentioned China in their joint statements.
The two countries also signed letters of intent on enhancing cooperation in humanitarian assistance and disaster response at sea and military medicine.
It aims to strengthen the partnership between the two nations to address natural disasters and other complex security challenges at sea. It highlights the crucial role of both navies.
Meanwhile, the military medicine aspect will focus on cross-border public health surveillance and preventing disease outbreaks.
Defense spokesperson Arsenio Andolong explained that letter of intent signifies interest in a partnership, with the specifics to be detailed in a memorandum of understanding.
“The actual details of what the partnership will entail will be covered by the memorandum of understanding,” Andolong said.
Andolong explained how the Philippines can engage in cooperative activities with Vietnam, despite both being claimant countries in the South China Sea, but not with other claimants like China.
“Vietnam has been very open and transparent with us, and that’s why we are reciprocating. Among our ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) neighbors, they have shown the most interest in establishing a partnership with us,” Andolong stated.
President Bongbong Marcos hailed Phan’s visit as a significant milestone in Philippine-Vietnam strategic relations.
“The Philippines and Vietnam have enjoyed strong relations, progressing from a purely diplomatic connection to defense cooperation, security cooperation, maritime cooperation, and certainly trade as well,” Marcos said.
