Russian officials brief Philippine officials on possible military cooperation

Russian officials have started exploratory talks on possible military-to-military cooperation with Philippine officials in Moscow, including the acquisition of Russian military equipment and technology, the Philippine ambassador to Russia said in a statement on Wednesday.

Carlos Sorreta said officials from the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, the federal agency directly under the Office of the President of Russia, briefed the Philippine embassy in Moscow "on the different aspects of possible Philippines-Russia military cooperation."

Sorreta said the federal agency is responsible for control and oversight in the field of military-technical cooperation between Russia and foreign counties.

"This is all part of our job to explore opportunities that could contribute to our government's efforts to modernize our defense capabilities," Sorreta said.

Sorreta described the meeting "quite revealing, particularly as to the extent that Russia is able to interact with a large number of countries in this field and the different mechanisms that are employed, including in terms of the acquisition and transfer of Russian military equipment."

During the briefing, Sorreta said both sides also discussed "military equipment and technology that were available from Russia."

He said both sides also discussed about possible "training, after-sales service and maintenance, transfer of technology, investment in domestic military production and servicing, and different modes of financing."

Russia sells military equipment and military-related equipment to a host of nations, from highly developed countries like the United States to developing nations like India, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, he said.

The Philippines is "open to cooperating with the Russian Ministry of Defense through education and training exchanges on counter-terrorism operations," Philippine officials said.

The Philippines and Russia have been exploring the possibility of "enhancing defense and security cooperation," noting that Russia "can be an important partner" for the Philippines fight against terror.

Defense Undersecretary Natalio Ecarma has posted out that "Russia's own experience in combating terrorism and extremism, within and outside its borders, could give is fresh perspectives on how to deal with these challenges more effectively."

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has earlier said that he is muling sending Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to Russia and China to check on military equipment available for the Philippines.

Gen. Ricardo Visaya, the Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff, told a congressional hearing on Wednesday that there is not instruction yet from Duterte to buy military equipment from China and Russia.

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