Trilateral Ministerial Meeting on Security Among the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia

12 November 2017 MANILA — The Foreign Ministers of the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia met at the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in Manila on 12 November 2017 to continue discussions in their fight against terrorism and violent extremism in the region. They were joined by several officials representing the countries’ security and intelligence agencies.

“The transnational character of terrorism demands a regional response and it is in this light that our collaboration is imperative,“ Secretary Cayetano said.

The Ministers discussed security-related developments in their countries, including the liberation of Marawi. Moreover, they exchanged views on their respective counter-terrorism initiatives.

Secretary Cayetano added, “Our presence here today sends a strong message to the rest of the world that our countries are still coordinating and still cooperative very closely even after developments in Marawi. I am heartened to note that our partners, Indonesia and Malaysia, are still very much with us in the fight against terrorism.”

It may be recalled that the Foreign Ministers convened the Trilateral Meeting on Security (TMS) in Manila on 22 June 2017, where measures for cooperation were identified to jointly address terrorism. Also participating in that meeting were leading officials of the three countries’ Armed Forces, National Police and Intelligence agencies.

The Ministers looked forward to their next meeting and expressed the hope to finalize a Plan of Action to follow through on measures to cooperate in the fight against terrorism. END