10 August 2016 — The 19-member Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC) of Sri Lanka delegation headed by Col. BKGMLR Rodrigo RSP psc IG attended a briefing at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on August 04 on Philippines-Sri Lanka bilateral relations, Philippine foreign policy, maritime and oceans governance, and regional security issues.
Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs Assistant Secretary Millicent Cruz-Paredes opened the briefing by saying that the common values and experiences of the Philippines and Sri Lanka motivate both countries to further seek engagement.
The friendly ties between the Philippines and Sri Lanka can be traced as early as the 19th century when Dr. Jose Rizal visited Colombo. As maritime nations, the Philippines and Sri Lanka shared colonial past, similar values of freedom and liberty, and mutual interest to pursue development and prosperity.
Assistant Secretary Cruz-Paredes underscored the value of frequent people-to-people exchanges in generating new ideas to produce tangible programs resulting in the strengthening and deepening of Philippines-Sri Lanka bilateral relations. In this vein, the Assistant Secretary encouraged the delegation to be active participants in learning and sharing best practices with Philippine counterparts.
The DSCSC delegation will stay in the Philippines from August 02 to 12 and is scheduled to conduct study visits to their Philippine counterparts to exchange views on defense and security issues.
The DSCSC has been at the forefront of all military, doctrinal and strategic level planning initiatives in Sri Lankan Army, Navy, and Air Force. END