The government of Israel offered its assistance to propel the modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

In a statement Saturday, Department of the National Defense spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said the commitment of the country's counterpart was discussed after Israeli ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss paid a courtesy call to DND officer-in-charge Senior Undersecretary Jose Faustino Jr. on Thursday, 1 September at the Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

Andolong said both officials discussed the ongoing consultations on broadening Philippines-Israel defense relations; the areas of defense and military cooperation; and the AFP modernization program.

"The two officials underscored that trust and commitment between both countries remain the foundation of a strong partnership," he added.

Expanded collaboration

During the meeting, Faustino said it is time for Filipinos and Israelis to broaden their bilateral collaboration.

Both countries have worked together to sustain logistics and procurement cooperation.

With this, Fluss has invited Faustino to attend security-related conferences and summits in Israel.

Faustino, on the other hand, cited other possible areas of cooperation with Israel including high-level visits, education and training exchanges, intelligence sharing, and self-reliant defense posture programs, among others.

Fluss said that defense cooperation is one of the important aspects of bilateral relations between the Philippines and Israel.

Hence, Israel is willing to share its experience and expertise to support the capacity-building efforts of the Philippines, he added.

Both officials likewise mulled to further strengthen defense and military relations as well as shared advanced capabilities.