President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the Philippine government is willing to enter into a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with Germany as the two nations deepen engagements, particularly in the areas of defense, security, and military cooperation.
"Well, why not? We probably, in reality, are still a long way off from that. And perhaps when the time comes, certainly, that would be something that the Philippines will be very, very open to. I cannot see any disadvantage to that," Marcos said during a joint press conference with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at Malacañang Palace on Tuesday as part of the latter's state visit to the country.
Marcos stressed that amid growing geopolitical volatility, the best path to stability is to build partnerships and broaden alliances with other nations.
"Because no one country can now influence, change, or direct the way the world is working. And so, we have to achieve two almost contrary aspirations: one, to be stable and strong; and two, to be agile at the same time. It's not an easy trick, but it's something that we have to achieve. But multilateralism is a very, very important part of that," he said.
"So yes, if the VFA, if we came to an agreement and we feel that it is time to have it, the Philippines would certainly entertain that possibility very warmly," the President added.
Marcos said Germany is an important defense partner of the Philippines and has participated as an observer in the Balikatan exercises since 2024.
"Germany is also an important partner and like-minded country in the Philippines' efforts to promote the rule of law and the rules-based international order. I thank Germany specifically for consistently and publicly expressing its support for Philippine efforts to uphold the rule of law in the South China Sea, including by calling on all parties to abide by the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award," he said.
For his part, Steinmeier said he and Marcos agreed that both countries could achieve greater security, peace, and prosperity through a world governed by common rules, cooperation, and trust.
"However, that same world has come under pressure these days, and for that reason, too, we have to move closer together in order to identify common answers to today's challenges," he said.
"In particular, export-oriented middle powers like the Philippines and Germany rely on functioning cooperation and reliability. We therefore have to stand up together to defend the rules-based global order."
"Ladies and gentlemen, the situation in the South China Sea, or as the Philippines would call it, the West Philippine Sea, continues to be tense, and that gives us cause for concern because the Indo-Pacific, in particular Southeast Asia, is one of the most economically dynamic regions in the world. If incidents occur in that part of the world, that is also a cause for great concern in Europe," Steinmeier said.
"Because we in Europe have for decades benefited from the international law of the sea, and violations of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) endanger freedom of navigation, as the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has brought home to us recently in a very drastic manner," he added.
Germany strongly supports the rules-based international order and recognizes the West Philippine Sea as part of the Philippines' exclusive economic zone under UNCLOS.
German leaders, including Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Steinmeier, have consistently called on all parties to respect the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award.
