Joint Press Release for the Bilateral Meeting between Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr. and French Minister for the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu

December 3, 2023

December 2, 2023 (Taguig City) – Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr. and French Minister for the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu met today, during the landmark visit to the Philippines by a French Defense Minister.

They discussed current regional security issues in the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East / Southwest Asia, and Europe, underscoring the rules-based international order and calling for the peaceful resolution of disputes. Consistent with the security and defense interests of the Philippines and the French Indo-Pacific Strategy, they highlighted their shared positions supporting a free, open, inclusive and stable Indo-Pacific. With regard to the West Philippine Sea / the South China Sea, both sides expressed adherence to the spirit and provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the primacy thereof, and recalled the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea.

The ministers welcomed the positive trajectory of Philippines-France defense and military cooperation, demonstrated by the regular convening of the bilateral defense dialogues, visits by defense and armed forces delegations, continuous educational exchanges, port visits, as well as naval and disaster response training activities.

They reaffirmed their determination to work for a stronger long-term partnership in the maritime, land, aerial, and information domains. Along this line, they renewed their commitment to deepen the bilateral defense relations between the Philippines and France through the signing of a Letter of Intent wherein both sides express the willingness to raise the level of interaction and to consolidate their exchanges through practical cooperation. This includes strengthening the legal framework of the bilateral defense relationship, by initiating discussions on defense agreements, including the consideration of a status of visiting forces agreement, enhancing defense and military activities, including capability development and joint defense industry cooperation.

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