Philippines, New Zealand hold talks on visiting forces
MANILA, Philippines — Efforts to fortify the military alliance between the Philippines and New Zealand are now underway following the conduct of the first round of formal negotiations on the proposed Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) between the two countries last week.
The Department of National Defense (DND) said negotiations held on Jan. 23 in Manila saw top defense and diplomatic officials of both nations coming together to discuss the deal.
Once approved, the SOVFA will reinforce the 2017 Memorandum of Arrangement between the DND and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) with the Ministry of Defense (MoD) of New Zealand.
The DND said such an agreement “will enable both countries’ armed forces to elevate their cooperative activities and conduct exercises in each other’s territories, deepening overall defense and military cooperation.”
“The conclusion of this agreement will be a significant milestone for the overall bilateral relationship between the Philippines and New Zealand, as the two countries will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties in 2026,” the DND added.
Last week’s first round of talks were led by DND Undersecretary Pablo Lorenzo and MoD Director Kathleen Pearce representing the Philippine and New Zealand delegations, respectively.
Delegates from New Zealand included New Zealand Ambassador Catherine McIntosh, Deputy Head of Mission Stacey Kwant and an analyst from the MoD. Other members of the New Zealand delegation joined virtually.
The Philippine delegation was composed of Department of Justice Undersecretaries Raul Vasquez and Dennis Arvin Chan, Presidential Commission on Visiting Forces Undersecretary Antonio Habulan Jr., Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretaries Aileen Mendiola-Rau and Patrick Chuasoto, and DND Assistant Secretary Erik Lawrence Dy.
The DND said the first round of negotiations marked an important step in strengthening bilateral defense ties between the Philippines and New Zealand.
New Zealand participated in one of last year’s Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity in the West Philippine Sea alongside the Philippine and United States navies.
On the sidelines of the