RPT - New Philippine-Russian Navy Pact May Be Signed In July 2019 - Defense Undersecretary

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th April, 2019) A new Philippine-Russian navy cooperation pact, currently under development by a working group, may be signed in July 2019, Philippine Undersecretary of National Defense Cardozo M. Luna told Sputnik in an interview.

"We already have crafted the navy-to-navy agreement, which is going to be anchored on our defense cooperation agreement, which was signed in 2017. It is now still at the stage of the joint working group. And they are finalizing it so that might be signed this coming July," Cardozo Luna said.

The undersecretary explained that the agreement would focus mostly on "exchange.

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In addition, the agreement would be "geared towards developing [the Philippines'] own capability," the defense undersecretary said.

"So that we don't rely on our friends, we have to develop our own capability," the undersecretary remarked.

Luna added that the joint Philippine-Russian naval drills on April 13 were focused "only on communication ... checking interoperability on communication."

The undersecretary remarked that any new joint exercises would be "part of the talk of navy to navy."

The joint drills were held in the South China Sea, practicing tactical maneuvering and communication.