STRONG TIES. AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. (right) and senior military officials engage in a video conference with Japan Self-Defense Force joint chief of staff Gen. Yoshida Yoshihide at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Thursday (Dec. 21, 2023). Brawner and Yoshida discussed pressing regional security matters and developments in the Philippine-Japan defense partnership. (Photo courtesy of the AFP)
MANILA – The Philippines is one with other nations in ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific Region.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. made this commitment in a teleconference with Japan Self-Defense Force joint chief of staff Gen. Yoshida Yoshihide on Thursday.
During their meeting, the two officials discussed "pressing regional security matters and developments in the Philippine-Japan defense partnership".
"The meeting demonstrates the AFP’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with like-minded nations and drawing support for the advancement of a rules-based international order and a free and open Indo-Pacific Region," AFP public affairs office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said in a statement.
The military officials also celebrated the transfer of a Japanese air surveillance radar system to the Philippines and expressed support for the immediate finalization of the reciprocal access agreement to allow more interoperable cooperation between the two maritime nations.
"They also stressed the importance of alliance-building to counter aggression, such as the incidents in the West Philippine Sea on December 10, as well as lauded the recent conclusion of the Multilateral Staff Talks with Australia and the United States in Tokyo. Gen. Yoshida also conveyed Japan’s support to the 2016 Arbitral Ruling and expressed their strong opposition to actions that alter the status quo," Trinidad added. (PNA)
