Philippines Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro shared hope on Tuesday that a joint exercise by Philippine and Japanese troops under a brand-new reciprocal safety deal “could be” held as very early as next year.
In a meeting with Kyodo News, Teodoro claimed he thinks talks for the suggested Reciprocal Access Agreement will certainly go “very smoothly” and be authorized “the soonest possible time.”
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Philippines Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro talks in a meeting in Manila onNov 7, 2023. (Kyodo)
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida concurred over the weekend break at their conference in Manila that they will certainly start settlements on the RAA.
“I do not think there will be any obstacle,” Teodoro claimed of the settlements. When inquired about the RAA being officially secured throughout Marcos’ participation at the ASEAN-Japan Summit in Tokyo next month, Teodoro …