May 31, 2024 (Singapore) – Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr. is scheduled to hold a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific regions on the sidelines of the 21st International Institute for Strategic Studies Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD).

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. is to deliver an unprecedented keynote address during tonight’s 2024 Shangri-La Dialogue opening, where he is expected to discuss the Philippines’ legal and geopolitical position on the West Philippine Sea, a vital lane for international trade and economy.

President Marcos is the first Filipino head of state to be invited to address the Shangri-La defense forum, considered as one of Asia’s most significant gatherings of senior officials from the security, defense, geopolitics, and diplomatic sectors. The President is scheduled to deliver his message at 8:00 PM tonight before an in-person audience of more than 550 delegates representing 40 countries. It will be live streamed for a global audience.

On Saturday, June 1, Secretary Teodoro will meet with Laurynas Kasčiūnas, Minister of National Defense of Lithuania. This ministerial-level meeting is a follow-up to the visit to the Philippines by Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis on April 25, 2024.

Secretary Teodoro’s schedule will include meetings with Bill Blair, Minister of Defense of Canada, for a briefing on the recently-released Canadian Defense Policy Update, and to explore as more opportunities for bilateral and/or multilateral collaboration; Judith Anne Collins, Minister of Defense of New Zealand; Shin Won-Sik, Minister of National Defense of South Korea, to discuss regional security challenges and cooperation in the United Nations Command (UNC) in South Korea; Josep Borrell Fontelles, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission for a Stronger Europe in the World, to discuss regional security matters, notably the West Philippine Sea issue; and a courtesy call on Dr. Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Defense of Singapore.