gcash player Visiting forces agreement talks underway between PH, New Zealand

President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. welcomes New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at Malacañang during an arrival honors ceremony on Thursday, April 18,2024. Luxon will be in the country until April 20, 2024 for an official visit. PHOTOS BY YUMMIE DINGDING/ PPA POOL

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and New Zealand began discussions last Jan. 23 to establish a visiting forces agreement, according to the Department of National Defense (DND).

DND Undersecretary Pablo Lorenzo and New Zealand Ministry of Defense (MoD) Director Kathleen Pearce led the negotiations for the status of the visiting forces agreement (SOVFA).

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“A SOVFA will reinforce the Memorandum of Arrangement between the DND and the Armed Forces of the Philippines with the MoD of New Zealand concerning Defense Cooperation, which was signed in 2017,” the DND said in a statement on Wednesday.

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“It will enable both countries’ armed forces to elevate their cooperative activities and conduct exercises in each other’s territories, deepening overall defense and military cooperation,” it added.

In an interview with Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon on Tuesday, DTI Undersecretary Allan Gepty said the market share of fresh bananas in South Korea dropped to 65 percent in 2023 from a high of 98 percent in 2013.

Happening at Solaire Resort North in Quezon City, the PINSCF will gather local and foreign stakeholders to discuss the latest technology and innovations, as well as share best practices in the nuclear energy industry.

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The department said concluding a SOVFA was among the “key outcomes agreed between Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon” during the latter’s visit to the country last April.

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“The conclusion of this agreement will be a significant milestone for the overall bilateral relationship between the Philippines and New Zealand, as the two countries will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties in 2026,” the DND added.

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READ: PH, New Zealand to sign enhanced defense agreements by end of 2024

Among the delegates from New Zealand were Ambassador Catherine McIntosh, Deputy Head of Mission Stacey Kwant, and an analyst from the MoD, while those from the Philippines include Department of Justice Undersecretaries Raul Vasquez and Dennis Arvin Chan, Presidential Commission on Visiting Forces Undersecretary Antonio Habulan Jr., Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretaries Aileen Mendiola-Rau and Patrick Chuasoto, as well as DND Assistant Secretary Erik Lawrence Dy.

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