The Philippines and the United Kingdom have formally started negotiations for a proposed Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) aimed at deepening defense cooperation between the two countries.

The Department of National Defense (DND) said Friday the negotiations began this week and underscored both countries’ commitment to strengthening cross-regional defense cooperation and upholding the rules-based international order.

Defense Undersecretary for Acquisition and Resource Management Salvador Melchor Mison Jr. led the Philippine negotiating panel, while Amy Senior, head of Indo-Pacific at the UK Ministry of Defence, headed the British delegation.

“We appreciate UK’s unqualified support as a like-minded partner in upholding the rules-based international order and preserving freedoms ensured by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” Mison said.

Discussions focused on strengthening strategic defense initiatives and improving interoperability between the Philippine and British armed forces.

The Philippines currently has SOVFAs or similar arrangements with the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and France, as well as a Reciprocal Access Agreement with Japan.

Philippines calls for openness at ASEAN defense talks

In a separate statement, the Philippines called for openness, flexibility and collective responsibility as senior defense officials from ASEAN and its partners convened virtually for the ASEAN Defense Senior Officials’ Meeting-Plus (ADSOM-Plus) on Thursday.

DND Undersecretary for Strategic Assessment and Planning Ignacio Madriaga, who chaired the meeting, highlighted progress in practical defense cooperation under the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus framework.

“Let our differences inspire us to devise creative solutions rather than divisions,” Madriaga said.

“I urge everyone to exercise openness to ideas and flexibility to meet in the middle, in line with the ADMM-Plus guiding principles of ASEAN centrality, consensus-building, inclusivity, and collective responsibility,” he added.

Madriaga also stressed the importance of international law and legal mechanisms for the peaceful management and settlement of disputes.

The meeting reviewed ongoing ADMM-Plus cooperation and preparations for the next cycle of joint activities.