Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen (right) and Philippines Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr signing the MoU on July 24. - MINDEF
SINGAPORE: Singapore and the Philippines have signed an agreement to deepen defence cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen and Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr on Wednesday (July 24) serves to promote cooperation in areas such as military education and anti-terrorism, said Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (Mindef) in a statement.
It builds on an agreement the two sides signed just over a year ago, on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) in June 2023, to step up cooperation in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
The MoU comes as Singapore and the Philippines mark the 55th anniversary of bilateral ties in 2024.
The Republic hosted Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr earlier in May, when he attended the 2024 edition of SLD. Marcos also delivered the keynote speech at SLD, the first Philippine head of state to do so at Asia’s top defence summit.
During his visit, Marcos met Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the Istana, where the two leaders discussed ways to collaborate in emerging areas such as the digital economy, carbon credits and renewable energy.
At the July 24 meeting, Dr Ng and Teodoro reaffirmed the warm and friendly defence ties between Singapore and the Philippines, said Mindef.
The two leaders also expressed their commitment to continue cooperation on the Asean Defence Ministers’ Meetings (ADMMs) and ADMM-Plus meetings.
Teodoro is in Singapore with a delegation of senior Philippine defence officials, including Undersecretary for Strategic Assessment and Planning Ignacio Madriaga and military chief Romeo Brawner. - The Straits Times/ANN
