AUTHENTICATIONPHL, Russia Intensify Discussions on Defense, Security Cooperation
Ambassador Carlos D. Sorreta (left, center) meets with Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin (right, center) on the further deepening of cooperation between the Philippines and Russia in the areas of defense and security. Photo by Russian Ministry of Defense.
13 October 2017 MOSCOW – The Philippines and Russia continued their dialogue on further deepening cooperation in the areas of defense and security with the meeting between Ambassador Carlos D. Sorreta and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin at the Russian Ministry of Defense in Moscow on September 22.
The two officials acknowledged that the visit of President Rodrigo R. Duterte to Moscow and his meeting with President Vladimir Putin last May gave great impetus to the further strengthening of defense and security cooperation.
“The meeting between our two Presidents and the subsequent signing of our Defense Cooperation Agreement immediately after served to boost our efforts and have already had concrete results,” according to Ambassador Sorreta. “We have already started the process of learning from each other through exchange of visits, participation in defense fora, and by observing military exercises and competitions,” the Ambassador added.
“A significant part of those exchanges will be the visit in October of Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu who will be in the Philippines for the ASEAN Defense Ministers Plus meeting as well as for a return bilateral visit,” the Ambassador said. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana was in Moscow last December for a bilateral visit.
Also discussed at the meeting were pending defense and military agreements that are aimed at further establishing a firm legal framework for cooperation. “We have been hard at work negotiating these agreements and I anticipate that one will be signed shortly,” Ambassador Sorreta said.
The transfer of military arms, equipment and supplies were also discussed in depth during the meeting. “We hope to have some substantial developments on this issue in the very near future,” Ambassador Sorreta noted.
With Ambassador Sorreta at the meeting were Vice-Consul Luningning Camoying and Embassy Interpreter Oksana Zietseva. With Deputy Minister Fomin were officials for the Defense Ministry, the Federal Service on Military and Technical Cooperation, and Rosoboronexport. END
For more information, visit www.moscowpe.dfa.gov.ph.
OFFICE OF CONSULAR AFFAIRS 
