DEFENSE Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr and his visiting Swedish counterpart, Pí¥l Jonson, yesterday agreed to enhance cooperation on several issues.
This is the first visit of a Swedish defense minister to the Philippines. The visit coincides with the National Day of Sweden.
DND spokesman Arsenio Andolong, in a statement, said Teodoro considers Jonson’s visit “a clear manifestation of the budding relations between the Philippines and Sweden.”
During the meeting, held at a hotel in Mandaluyong City, Teodoro “highlighted the common values and shared recognition for the rules-based international order of the two countries, and welcomed more opportunities in strengthening defense cooperation with Sweden,” Andolong said.
He also said the two defense chiefs underscored that the security of the Indo-Pacific and North Atlantic is “interlinked, which necessitates a deeper understanding of each other’s regional concerns amid shifts in the geopolitical architecture.”
He said Jonson noted Sweden’s “increasing interest in deepening its engagement and understanding” of the Indo-Pacific region through cooperation with Philippines and like-minded nations.
Andolong said Teodoro and Jonson explored logistics cooperation during their meeting and discussed issues of mutual interest such as defense education and capacity building, maritime security, rule of law, climate change adaptation, gender and security, total defense, cyber, and responsible use of emerging and disruptive technologies, among others.
The Philippines and Sweden signed a Memorandum of Understanding Concerning Cooperating in the Acquisition of Defense Material in June last year.
“The framework paved the way in advancing cooperation in the areas of logistics, technology research and development, defense industry development, and exchange of related information,” said Andolong.
