PH, Australia promote regional peace
MANILA and Canberra share a commitment to a region that is peaceful, prosperous and “respectful of sovereignty,” a ranking Australian foreign affairs and trade official said.
Michelle Chan, Australia’s Foreign Affairs and Trade deputy secretary for Southeast Asia and Global Partners, gave the assurance on Saturday when senior Philippine and Australian foreign affairs and defense officials convened for the 6th Philippines-Australia Strategic Dialogue (PASD).
Last held virtually in 2020, the PASD is the main forum for the two countries to discuss and coordinate on strategic priorities and matters of mutual importance, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.
“Both countries expressed their commitment to supporting a rules-based regional order with Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) at the center,” the DFA said in a statement.
Chan and Hugh Jeffrey, Australia’s Defense acting deputy secretary for Strategy, Policy and
Industry, co-chaired the 6th PASD with concerned Philippine foreign and defense officials.
The dialog was co-chaired by DFA Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and Asean Affairs Ma. Theresa Lazaro and Department of National Defense Undersecretary Franco Nemesio Gacal.
Chan, on Twitter, thanked the DFA for hosting the PASD “to discuss deepening cooperation and strategic engagement, & shared regional challenges.”
Australian Ambassador to Manila Hae Kyong Yu PSM also tweeted that the dialog “demonstrated the close alignment of goals and priorities between Australia and the Philippines.”
The DFA said both sides shared updates on their respective foreign and defense policies and priorities, took stock of progress made in important areas of the bilateral relationship, discussed upcoming activities, and shared views on regional dynamics.
Australia and the Philippines also discussed ways to strengthen their foreign and defense cooperation and collaboration, in particular on maritime security as well as transnational crimes, both bilaterally and through multilateral organizations.
Both sides reaffirmed the importance of maritime cooperation activities, including the conduct of maritime dialogues, joint exercises, capacity building activities, training and logistics support, which show the common maritime perspectives underpinning the two countries’ maritime cooperative endeavors.
The Philippines and Australia noted the agreement between President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to strengthen ties between the countries by formally elevating the bilateral relationship to “a strategic partnership,” the DFA said.