16 September 2016 — Undersecretary for Finance and Materiel of the Philippine Department of National Defense Raymundo de Vera Elefante met with Mr. Vladimir Drojob, Deputy Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation of the Russian Federation, on September 08. The meeting took place at the sidelines of the International Military-Technical Forum “Army-2016” which is currently being held at the Kubinka Airfield in Moscow Region.
Also in the meeting were Rear Admiral Rafael G. Mariano, Vice Commander of the Philippine Navy, Major General Benjamin R. Madrigal, Commander of the 6th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, and Third Secretary and Vice Consul Luningning G. Camoying, Political and Military Affairs Officer of the Philippine Embassy in Moscow.
Joining Deputy Director Drojob were Mr. Sergey Bugakov, Chief of the First Department on Military and Technical Cooperation with Foreign States (Asia Pacific region) and Mr. Alexander Belozerov, Counsellor.
Undersecretary Elefante expressed appreciation for the invitation to attend “Army-2016”, noting that this is the first time the Philippine DND sent a delegation. He underscored that the Philippines is open to dialogue with the FSMTC to see what Russia can offer in terms of military technology. The Philippines is currently implementing a modernization program for its armed forces and Russian companies are welcome to participate in the process.
Mr. Drojob stated that at present there is practically no military-technical cooperation between Russia and the Philippines. He expressed hope that the meeting will generate momentum to change the current situation, stressing that military-technical cooperation is an important factor in bilateral relations. Mr. Bugakov added that Russia has very good experience in military-technical cooperation with many countries and that it is ready to help the Philippines achieve its modernization goals. END
