DEFENSE Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr and Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren vowed to enhance defense relations of the countries during a meeting on Sunday.
Teodoro and Ollongren met on the sidelines of the 21st International Institute for Strategic Studies Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
Teodoro has also met with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III and with the defense chiefs of Australia, Canada, Lithuania, New Zealand, Singapore, and South Korea on the sidelines of the Shangri-la Dialogue.
Teodoro and Austin discussed the West Philippine Sea dispute. Austin has said the harassment faced by Philippine has reached the “dangerous” level as he reiterated the US commitment to help the Philippines under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty.
The annual Shangri-la Dialogue serves as a venue for defense and military leaders, diplomats, and security experts and practitioners around world to engage in discourse on security issues.
In their meeting, Teodoro and Ollongren “pledged to deepen cooperation as numerous issues and concerns emerge globally,” said DND spokesman Arsenio Andolong in a statement.
Ollongren said the Dutch government “can relate to the security concerns of the Philippine government.”
“We look forward to engaging The Netherlands in combatting cybercrime and espionage issues,” Teodoro told Ollongren.
Responding to Teodoro’s remarks, Ollongren said: “We are moving in the right direction.”
