Gibo’s French counterpart visiting Manila

French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu is set to visit the Philippines on Saturday, 2 December.

The French Embassy in the Philippines said Lecornu will engage in a "working lunch and high-level meeting" with his Philippine counterpart, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., with delegations from both France and the Philippines.

The visit is in line with the commitment of Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to enhance the strategic partnership between France and the Philippines.

France is among the countries that have expressed interest in expanding maritime cooperation with the Philippines.

Then-French Ambassador Michele Boccoz stated in July that Paris is open to cooperating with nations that share its values to advance stability and peace in the Indo-Pacific region.

In October, France joined for the first time in SAMASAMA, a multilateral exercise involving forces from the Philippines, the US, Australia, Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom off the Philippine coast.