Germany to provide PH Coast Guard with drones

MANILA, June 17 ------ Germany will provide the Philippine Coast Guard with drones, in a move to boost defense ties between the two countries.

During the joint press conference after the bilateral meeting, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier promised they will continue participating in military exercises with the Philippines in the future. "The situation in the South China Sea, or as the Philippines would call it the West Philippine Sea, continues to be tense and that gives us cause to be concerned because the Indo-Pacific, in particular the region of Southeast Asia, is one of the most economically dynamic regions of the world," Steinmeier said in German and translated by the Palace. "If incidents occur in that part of the world, that is also cause for great concern in Europe because we in Europe have for decades now too benefited from the international law of the sea," Steinmeier said.

The German leader said "violations of the international law of the sea endanger the freedom of navigation as the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has brought home to us recently in a very drastic manner." Steinmeier said both Germany and the Philippines were badly hit by the blockade of Hormuz, with skyrocketing fuel and food prices. "We feel the disruption of the supply chains in Germany too. Germany and the Philippines are therefore also cooperating on security political matters such as safeguarding peace and providing for the freedom of navigation," he said. Steinmeier is the first German head of state to visit the Philippines since 1963. "We say that prosperity and security in Europe and in the Indo-Pacific are closely linked and we in our regions know how important respectful international law is," he added.

The German President underscored the need for closer ties between Germany and the Philippines, despite the vast distance between the two countries. "In a global environment that is undergoing major transformation, countries that share similar interests as do the Philippines and Germany have to cooperate ever closer," he said.

Steinmeier expressed hopes for the "ambitious" Free Trade Agreement between the Philippines and the European Union. "We hope that that agreement can be concluded speedily and that our economic exchange will continue to intensify so that we will see more European and in particular more German investments in the Philippines," he said.

The German Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry has roughly 300 member companies, amongst them companies from the pharmaceutical sector, from the banking, insurance, logistics and aviation sector.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com