Build more bridges between our two nations; a historical visit

Last weekend, Minister of Armed Forces Sebastian Lecornu made a landmark visit to the Philippines, during which he met his counterpart, His Excellency Gilbert Teodoro.

It was the first visit of a French Minister of Armed Forces in the Philippines. This historical moment was made possible after a proposal made by Mr. Teodoro to me when we first met in September, a few days after my arrival in Manila.

One of the main aims of this visit was for Mr. Lecornu to understand more the Philippines and to connect with his counterpart. I have to say that there was a very personal chemistry between the two ministers in charge of defending the sovereignty of their respective nations of the Indo-Pacific region.

France and the Philippines have different histories but they are defending the same values. In a fragmented world, democracy, rule of law and freedom of navigation are at the core of our common cooperation, in particular in the West Philippine Sea.

Strategic autonomy is key. Our foreign policy has been designed with that concept at heart by General de Gaulle. Our idea is to build bridges, not blocs. Here in the Indo-Pacific, we believe, as a Pacific nation, that this objective is relevant. It has permitted us to create a full-fledge industry, combat proven, and open to nations willing to exercise their sovereignty.

During the visit, both ministers signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) defining the path and concrete next steps to further enhance the Franco-Philippine strategic partnership, as instructed by Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Ferdinand Marcos Jr. This includes in particular the path to negotiation of a Visiting Forces Agreement, that will push our countries’ joint defense military interactions to a higher level.

The LOI reiterates our common will to develop their cooperation in the field of defense capabilities as well. Minister Lecornu and Secretary Teodoro also emphasized the importance of education and training to foster mutual knowledge, military-to-military interoperability between our armed forces, in a common will to feed our strategic closeness with tangible actions.

Our armed forces have already a substantial record of joint activities, as illustrated by the regular visits of our Joint Commander for French Armed Forces in the Asia-Pacific, port calls or contribution to joint international military exercises such as Sama-Sama and Balikatan. The Philippines also joined for the first time this year the Marara multilateral exercise in Polynesia, aimed at addressing disaster response and other contingencies. The LOI will give an impulse to increase the number of these joint activities and to establish their agenda.

To do so, Minister Lecornu announced the opening next year of a full-fledged resident Defense Mission in the Philippines, that will be probably headed by a French Navy officer. Clearly, we are now laying the foundations that will allow us to fully tap into our strategic cooperation potential.

The personal relation established between Minister Lecornu and Secretary Teodoro will ensure that both parties move forward at a fast pace in operational cooperation, while opening new avenues of cooperation in the fields of cyber systems, air surveillance and air superiority, surface and sub-surface naval systems, missile and counter-missile systems, weapon and sensor systems upgrade and other pertinent systems.

As Secretary Teodoro recalled, both our countries have independent foreign policies. We are maritime nations of the Indo-Pacific, with a shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific, based on the international law and UNCLOS, including the 2016 Arbitral Award. Our proximity was illustrated last year when the Philippines supported France’s successful bid to the accession as an observer to the ASEAN Defense Minister Meeting+ (ADMM+).

Last Saturday, the two ministers acknowledged the large scope of our mutual strategic interests by agreeing to develop our cooperation in the greater Pacific area, where France has overseas strategic territories (New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis-and-Futuna). They also discussed current regional security issues in the Indo-Pacific, including Southeast Asia and the Korean peninsula, the Middle East and Europe, underscoring the rules-based international order and calling for the peaceful resolution of disputes.

France is a strategic player and an important partner in the Indo-Pacific for all those willing to defend international order, sovereignty, stability and predictibility. On Dec. 4, France has organized the 10th South Pacific Defense Ministerial Meeting in Nouméa, New Caledonia. It was the next step of Minister Lecornu’s visit in the region after Manila. Like the Philippines, Pacific islands are exposed to climate change, natural disasters and are also concerned about the consequences of heightened tensions in the region. To address those concerns, France fosters intelligence exchanges, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief activities (HADR) coordination, monitoring of illegal fishing with like-minded partners in the region.

This fruitful first visit of Mr. Lecornu in the Philippines opens avenues for more engagement between our two nations and with other like-minded countries. It is my wish and our duty at the embassy, with our Filipino friends, to make this partnership stronger and to build more bridges between our two nations!

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Marie Fontanel is the Ambassador of France to the Philippines.