THE PHILIPPINES and Japan will hold an inaugural foreign and defense ministerial meeting or the 2+2 on April 9 in Tokyo to ramp up cooperation amid the growing complexity of regional and international security environment, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed Tuesday.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana will head the Philippine delegation.
The meeting, set by President Rodrigo Duterte and Japanese Foreign Minister Kishida Fumio Kishida during their tele-summit in November 2021, serves as the "next logical progression" in the deepening policy and security cooperation between Tokyo and Manila and is envisioned to be a key component in strengthening the two nations' decade-old strategic partnership, the DFA said.
Japan is one of the only two countries, next to the United States, with which the Philippines has a 2+2 dialogue mechanism.
In its statement, the DFA said the two countries had forged close ties in various areas of cooperation over the past six decades, which have resulted in the improvement of the Philippines’ maritime law enforcement capabilities, increased maritime domain awareness, and enhanced counterterrorism and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) capabilities, among others.
The DFA has yet to provide details on specific topics that would be covered but said the meeting would lay the groundwork for the Philippine-Japan security partnership in the next decade. (Joyce Ann L. Rocamora)
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