RAA WITH JAPAN NOT BE THE LAST, PH DEFENSE PACTS WITH MORE COUNTRIES

More security agreement between Philippines and like-minded countries for incoming years (Photo courtesy of AFP/Ted Aljibe)

After the agreement between Japan and Philippines on July, the Department of National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said that the Philippines is eyeing to forge more reciprocal access agreement (RAA) with Canada, France, New Zealand, and other countries.

The Reciprocal Access Agreement allows Philippine military personnel and armed forces of the like-minded countries to operate within Philippine territory and to do the same in the said country.

Armed forces of Japan and the Philippines can operate military exercises to each other’s territories after the signed RAA with Japan. It also serves as security pacts between two countries that agree to move their military forces between their sovereignties as needed for training and operations.  

“I think the RAA with Japan will not be the last RAA because we are working on RAAs with several other like-minded nations as well. We are going to work on an RAA hopefully with Canada, France, with New Zealand, and with other countries,” Teodoro stated.

“We are also looking at closer relationships with the United Kingdom who has expressed a lot of interest in working with us,” he added.

The access agreement with France, New Zealand and Canada is expected to be signed next year.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced that the Philippines and China had agreed to conduct a resupply mission in the West Philippine Sea, details of the agreement have yet to relay.

According to Teodoro, the rights and sovereignty will still be upheld by the Philippines within its exclusive economic zone, “We cannot be deterred from doing what we need to do in order to build up our credible defense posture which includes our alliances with like-minded nations for the upholding of a rules-based international order.”

Source: Philippine Star 

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