The Bahrain Royal Guard Special Forces has invited the Armed Forces of the Philippines to participate as an observer in its joint military exercises with the United Kingdom and Malaysia.

Bahrain’s invitation came after a military delegation from Bahrain Royal Guard Special Forces, led by Col. Fahad Jabor Akaif Hameed Alsowaidi, visited the Department of National Defense.

Alsowaidi and his delegation were received last 6 March by Assistant Secretary Gavin Edjawan, officer-in-charge of the DND Office for Strategic Assessments and International Affairs, and the Assistant Secretary for Financial Management.

“Both officials looked forward to finalizing the proposed Philippines-Bahrain Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation, which will serve as the framework in formalizing defense and military relations between the two countries,” DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong told reporters on Thursday.

Andolong said the MoU paves the way for the two armed forces to explore more cooperation in education, military training engagements, and high-level visits, among other areas.

“The Bahraini side underscored the need for countries to work together to address common defense and security challenges,” he added.

He said, “Bahrain shared its robust joint military exercises with Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom and invited the Philippines to send observers to the next iterations of these exercises.”