Philippines, Egypt push for stronger defense, security ties

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and Egypt are pushing for stronger defense and security relations that may soon pave the way for bilateral training activities and events for the military forces of both nations.

Defense Senior Undersecretary Irineo Espino met with Egypt Ambassador Nader Nabil Zaki on Tuesday to discuss the current direction of bilateral defense relations between the two countries.

Both officials highlighted the increasing engagements between the two countries and looked forward to deepening bilateral and multilateral cooperation in defense and security, especially as both countries celebrate the 80th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2026.

DND spokesman Arsenio Andolong said the two officials also looked ahead to the conclusion of the proposed Philippines-Egypt Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation, which will serve as a framework to explore areas of convergence between the two countries, including people-to-people exchanges and training opportunities.

The Egyptian ambassador also expressed openness to the potential collaboration in training for imams under the Chaplain Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Andolong said Zaki also expressed interest in further exploring Egypt’s cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as a dialogue partner.

The courtesy call ended with both officials reaffirming their confidence in the direction of bilateral cooperation between the Philippines and Egypt.

Philippines, German armies hold talks

Meanwhile, the Philippine and German armies broke new ground in the first-ever Philippine Army-German Army Expert Talks held at Fort Bonifacio yesterday.

Col. Benjamin Leander, Philippine Army assistant chief of staff for plans, and Col. David Gilardy, head of the German Army International Cooperation branch, led the delegation of the two armies during the inaugural session.

The Expert Talks served as an initial platform to explore areas of cooperation, particularly in education and training between both armies. This exploratory stage fostered goodwill, trust and identified mutually beneficial initiatives as an antecedent to the Terms of Reference.

Army spokesman Col. Louie Dema-ala said a formal signing of the minutes of the meeting also took place following the plenary presentation and caucus.