The Philippines and Japan agreed to start talks as regards the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement, President Ferdinand ”Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said on Tuesday.
”Japan has been of great assistance in helping us achieve our aspiration for peace and friendship with all nations with strength and with integrity. Further, we have agreed to start negotiations on an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA),” Marcos said during the joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
In relation to this ACSA, Ishiba said the bilateral cooperation between the two nations are being deepened when it comes to the security sector. The Japanese leader also mentioned the discussion about the deal on security of information in the future.
”On security, as we see the deepening of our bilateral cooperation in a multilayered way in the recent years, we agreed to start the negotiation on ACSA or the acquisition and cross servicing agreement,” Ishiba said.
”We also confirmed to start the government-to-government discussion on potential conclusion of security of information agreement in the future,” he added.
Japan has the same agreement with India, and this establishes a framework such as the settlement procedures for the reciprocal provision of supplies and services between the Self-Defense Forces of Japan and the Indian Armed Forces.
Ishiba also affirmed the importance of the trilateral cooperation among Japan, the Philippines, and the United States.
Meanwhile, Marcos also said that on the defense and security cooperation of Manila and Tokyo, it can be noted that the Philippines is the first recipient of Japan’s Official Security Assistance (OSA).
”And even as a new initiative, barely three years old, the OSA has allowed our security agencies, especially the Department of National Defense, to achieve meaningful upgrades,” Marcos said. — BAP, GMA Integrated News
