The Philippines and Sweden on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to a civil defense and security partnership.
This followed a meeting between Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Johan Berggren, Swedish state secretary to the minister for civil defense, on the sidelines of the Seoul Defense Dialogue 2025 in South Korea on 8 September.
Teodoro and Berggren discussed cooperation in civil defense, crisis response, capacity building, defense education and training, as well as technology and emerging security domains.
During the meeting, Teodoro underscored the importance of close cooperation with Sweden to support the Philippines’ defense modernization and national resilience efforts.
The officials also exchanged views on vulnerabilities in critical underwater infrastructure and the broader Indo-Pacific security environment.
Berggren, for his part, reiterated Sweden’s commitment to strengthening defense and civil defense ties with the Philippines. He also stressed the importance of enduring partnerships in safeguarding the rules-based international order.
Meanwhile, the Philippines and Canada are set to ramp up cooperation in regional security and cybersecurity following high-level bilateral talks between Teodoro and Canada’s Deputy Minister of Defence Stefanie Beck.
Teodoro’s meeting with Beck also took place Monday in South Korea.
The two defense officials reaffirmed the growing strategic partnership between their countries, built on shared democratic values and a mutual commitment to peace, stability, and the rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific region.
Both sides acknowledged the progress of ongoing bilateral initiatives, including discussions on a proposed Philippines-Canada Status of Visiting Forces Agreement. Once finalized, the agreement is expected to provide a framework for closer military cooperation and joint activities.
Teodoro welcomed Canada’s increasing involvement in regional security efforts, citing Canada’s recent participation in multilateral maritime exercises alongside the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Australian Defence Force.
He also highlighted cybersecurity as a critical area of collaboration, pointing to ongoing efforts to strengthen cyber defense capabilities between the two countries.
Beck emphasized Canada’s readiness to deepen defense ties across various domains, including maritime security, cybersecurity and defense capacity-building. She reiterated Canada’s support for regional initiatives that uphold international law and promote collective security.
The two officials also discussed expanding coordination between their respective armed forces through joint training, defense education, and interoperability programs.