Defense ties between the Philippines and Vietnam will be strengthened following the upcoming visit of the Vietnamese Defense Minister, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said as quoted by the Philippine News Agency (FNA) as quoted by BTA.
Teodoro said that Vietnamese Defense Minister Phan Van Giang will visit the Philippines on Friday to sign bilateral defense cooperation agreements.
"Vietnam was one of the countries that our President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visited to build stronger ties and relations within ASEAN, and the subject of the South China Sea was part of the conversation between our President and the then President of Vietnam. We see opportunities to work together to achieve trust and confidence," he said at the 35th International Conference on Military Law and Operations.
Teodoro called for greater international support for the Philippines to promote a rules-based international order in the Philippine exclusive economic zone. He emphasized that the Philippines is not just asserting its own sovereignty and rights, but is a test case for the civilized world's agreed interpretations of what international law is, especially maritime law.
Teodoro said that countries must adhere to the principles of international law, especially the UN Charter, amid regional security challenges.