08 September 2014 –The 2nd Philippines-Australia Strategic Dialogue was held on 04 September 2014 at the Diamond Hotel in Manila. Jointly leading the Philippine delegation were Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Minda Calaguian-Cruz and National Defense Assistant Secretary Raymund Jose Quilop. Foreign Affairs and Trade First Assistant Secretary Allaster Cox of the South-East Asia Maritime Division and Brigadier John Mackenzie of the Department of National Defence headed the Australian delegation.
During the dialogue, the Philippines and Australia discussed the strategic priorities of the two countries in the defense and foreign policy realm, particularly defense cooperation on a bilateral and multilateral basis. Both sides also exchanged views on emerging regional security issues such as terrorism, human trafficking, and cybercrime.
They noted the common values that bind the two countries together, such as democracy, freedom of speech and rule of law, which provide the platform for a free and open dialogue and exchange of ideas.
These common values and interest also have laid down the impetus for a strong bilateral cooperation mechanism as evidenced by the holding of the strategic dialogue, the Philippines-Australia Ministerial Meeting (PAMM) in February 2014, and the upcoming Philippines-Australia Joint Defense Cooperation Consultations (JDCC) in October 2014.
Both sides reiterated their satisfaction at the current level of defense relationship between the two countries after the entry into force of the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) in September 2012, specifically in the fields of counter-terrorism, joint military exercises, maritime security and military training.
The Australian side said that it looks forward to future participation in the Balikatan Exercises and that it is keen on supporting the modernization process of the Philippine Military through exchange of information on best practices. END