President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. thanked Vietnam for supporting the 2016 arbitral ruling favoring the Philippines as both Manila and Hanoi remain committed to peace and adherence to international law.
This, as the Chief Executive welcomed Vietnam’s defense minister General Phan Van Giang in Malacañang on Friday, August 30.
“We have elevated Philippines-Vietnam relations to greater heights with the visit of Vietnam’s Defense Minister, General Phan Van Giang,” Marcos said during their meeting.
“We thank Vietnam for supporting the Arbitral Award. Together, we remain committed to peaceful resolutions, de-escalating tensions and ensuring that the rule of law and a rules-based international order prevail in our region,” Marcos added.
The Vietnamese official’s visit to the Philippines was a “very significant point” in the history of relations between the Philippines and Vietnam, Marcos said, adding that the Philippines is still determined to make those ties stronger.
“We aim to further increase…the depth and lanes of our relationship,” Marcos told Phan.
“And we have continued to progress in this relationship, as before [it] comprised only of our diplomatic connection, we now have our defense and security cooperation … and secondly in the area of trade,” Marcos added.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and Phan are expected to sign deals to work together on defense on Friday, August 30.
Teodoro said the deal gives Manila and Hanoi “a new push and momentum to work together on the military and defense side.”
The Philippines and Vietnam decided to work together more in the South China Sea and “peacefully solve incidents at sea” during Marcos’ visit to Vietnam in January. This led to the signing of the defense pact. (TCSP)
