Philippines And Australia Closer To Military Pact
Komfie Manalo - All Headline News Foreign Correspondent Manila, Philippines (AHN) - A military pact between the Philippines and Australia which will bring forth joint war games between the two countries' armed forces, is expected to be concluded soon. An optimistic Philippine Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz Jr. declared that the "status of forces agreement," patterned after the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) model, is now being fine-tuned by Canberra and he is confident that it would be completed soon. Cruz said that the agreement would not only allow large-scale joint military training as well as but is also meant to improve Philippine operations in counter-terrorism. Cruz noted that Australia was also assisting the Philippine army with management and forensics. With the agreement, the Philippines would have a strong and reliable partner in guarding the country's southern coast, which has long been used by militant groups linked to al-Qaeda as well as pirates to move arms across the region. The Philippines is a recipient of a number of high-powered patrol boats from Australia. Australia is the second largest provider of defense and counter-terrorism assistance to the Philippines, estimated at $13.5 million dollars this year after the United States.
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