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Philippines, Russia expected to reach security agreement as Duterte plans to visit Moscow

Xinhua, February 17, 2017 Adjust font size:

The Philippines and Russia are working on a security agreement that both countries hope to sign during President Rodrigo Duterte's visit to Russia in spring, a government statement said on Friday.

The statement said the Philippine leader met with Russia's Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev, the top security adviser of Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Duterte's home city of Davao on Thursday to thresh out details of the security arrangement that will include military intelligence swapping and maritime law enforcement.

"The bilateral talks discussed future government-to-governmnent cooperation in the fields of security and intelligence, defense and military, law enforcement, terrorism and transnational crime, anti-illegal drugs work plan and maritime law enforcement," the statement read.

Aside from an Agreement on Defense Cooperation, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, said that Manila and Moscow are also negotiating a "military-technical cooperation agreement." He said the Philippine defense department and Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation are working on this agreement now.

"The discussions also zeroed in on countering terrorism and transnational crimes with each side updating each other of their respective efforts to counter narcotic drugs and Russia manifesting that it could provide training for the presidential security group in connection with VIP protection and cooperation between the two countries's law enforcement agencies as well as coast guards," Lorenzana, who was also at the meeting, said in another statement.

He said the Russian side also extended an invitation for the Philippines to join a database sharing system, specifically in relation to terrorists.

Duterte has repeatedly said that he wants to have "open alliances" with China and Russia, saying he is fed up with the United States shabby treatment of the Philippines.

He met with Putin once at the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima, Peru in November last year. Endit