Philippines seeks Germany's support on sea row

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines has sought Germany's support for a "peaceful and durable solution" to the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea.

Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle is now in the Philippines for an official visit. Westerwelle's visit is the first by a German Federal Foreign Minister in more than 12 years and reciprocates an official trip to Germany by  Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario in December 2011.

"I conveyed my appreciation for Germany's support to the Philippine position towards a peaceful resolution of our territorial dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea. I informed him that the Philippines has filed a Notification and Statement of Claim to initiate arbitral proceedings to clearly establish the sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its maritime entitlement in the West Philippine Sea. I asked him to continue supporting the Philippine effort for a peaceful and durable solution to this dispute," Del Rosario said in a statement.

The DFA chief also bared that the Philippine Department of National Defense and the German Ministry of Defense (MoD) will undertake efforts to renew their defense relations.

"A delegation from the MoD is visiting Manila next week to conduct bilateral discussions with DND officials," said Del Rosario.

In January, the Philippines initiated arbitration to resolve the dispute between Manila and Beijing over a number of territories in the West Philippine Sea or the South China Sea.

Beijing has consistently refused to discuss the territorial row under any arrangement save bilateral negotiations between the Philippines and China.

The Philippines has been claiming that Scarborough Shoal, which triggered a standoff between Manila and Beijing in April, is within the 200-mile exclusive economic zone of the Philippines as provided for by the UNCLOS. China, on the other hand, has been claiming the territory on the basis of historical claims.

Del Rosario also said a political consultation process between the Philippines and Germany  will be held annually that will serve as a "platform to discuss bilateral issues on a number of issues, including defense and security cooperation, education and cultural relations, labor and migration trade, tourism and investment and many others."

The DFA earlier said Westerwelle would be accompanied by officials of the German Federal Foreign Office (FFO), a 12-man business delegation and 10 journalists from Germany.

Besides the bilateral meeting with Del Rosario, Westerwelle will also pay a courtesy call on President Aquino before the German official speaks in a discussiion on the Mindanao peace process with representatives of the civil society.

Germany is the Philippines's second largest export in the European Union and the second biggest source of tourists for the Philippines in Europe. Germany is also a leading source of official development assistance.