Build more bridges between our two nations; a historical visit

Last weekend, Minister of Armed Forces Sebastian Lecornu made a landmark visit to the Philippines, during which he met his counterpart, His Excellency Gilbert Teodoro.

It was the first visit of a French Minister of Armed Forces in the Philippines. This historical moment was made possible after a proposal made by Mr. Teodoro to me when we first met in September, a few days after my arrival in Manila.

One of the main aims of this visit was for Mr. Lecornu to understand more the Philippines and to connect with his counterpart. I have to say that there was a very personal chemistry between the two ministers in charge of defending the sovereignty of their respective nations of the Indo-Pacific region.

France and the Philippines have different histories but they are defending the same values. In a fragmented world, democracy, rule of law and freedom of navigation are at the core of our common cooperation, in particular in the West Philippine Sea.

Strategic autonomy is key. Our foreign policy has been designed with that concept at heart by General de Gaulle. Our idea is to build bridges, not blocs. Here in the Indo-Pacific, we believe, as a Pacific nation, that this objective is relevant. It has permitted us to create a full-fledge industry, combat proven, and open to nations willing to exercise their sovereignty.

During the visit, both ministers signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) defining the path and concrete next steps to further enhance the Franco-Philippine strategic partnership, as instructed by Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Ferdinand Marcos Jr. This includes in particular the path to negotiation of a Visiting Forces Agreement, that will push our countries’ joint defense military interactions to a higher level.

The LOI reiterates our common will to develop their cooperation in the field of defense capabilities as well. Minister Lecornu and Secretary Teodoro also emphasized the importance of education and training to foster mutual knowledge, military-to-military interoperability between our armed forces, in a common will to feed our strategic closeness with tangible actions.

Our armed forces have already a substantial record of joint activities, as illustrated by