Philippines moves closer to first defense agreement with African nation

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is working to establish its first defense agreement with an African country through a memorandum with South Africa that would cover military medicine and safety of seafarers — a move that comes as Manila looks to expand military partnerships beyond its traditional allies.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. met with South African Defense Minister Angelina Motshekga on Monday, September 8, in Seoul to advance the Memorandum of Agreement on Cooperative Activities in the Field of Defense, according to a Department of National Defense (DND) statement.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Seoul Defense Dialogue 2025, where Teodoro outlined potential areas of collaboration between Manila and South Africa.

The proposed agreement would mark the Philippines' first formal defense partnership with any African nation and a greater expansion of Manila's military ties beyond its traditional sphere of Asian and Western partners.

Both defense chiefs "reaffirmed their commitment to supporting international peace and security, and advancing multilateral cooperation," the DND said.

They also committed to supporting international peacekeeping efforts and expanding multilateral cooperation.

Teodoro and Motshekga previously met in Germany in May during a United Nations peacekeeping conference.

Strengthening ties with South Korea

Separately, Teodoro met with South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-Back on Monday to deepen cooperation under both countries' existing 2015 defense memorandum.

The officials explored enhanced collaboration in logistics, technological exchange and defense industry cooperation to address "common regional security challenges," according to the DND.

Minister Ahn welcomed the Philippines' participation in the annual Seoul defense dialogue and emphasized the countries' ties rooted in Filipino soldiers' service during the Korean War, which marked its 75th anniversary this year.

Teodoro also invited Ahn to visit the Philippines, reinforcing Manila's commitment to "advancing defense cooperation, strengthening regional security, and sustaining strategic engagement" with Seoul.