MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday expressed his country's willingness to expand defense and counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan.
Duterte's comments came as he received the credentials of several new envoys to Manila, including Pakistani Ambassador Dr. Imtiaz Ahmad Kazi.
"Let me extend our military-to-military exchanges and sharing of intelligence and best practices, particularly in countering terrorism and violence," Duterte told Kazi while accepting his letter of credence.
"I recall my visit aboard the Navy Ship PNS Saif in 2017," he said, referring to a Pakistan Navy frigate.
During the ceremony, Kazi praised Duterte's "far-sighted policies, "leadership which has brought so many dividends for the Republic of the Philippines," and success in containing the COVID-19 outbreak.
"Our two countries ... enjoyed long enduring ties of friendship and cooperation. In fact, we started off in 1949, when a consulate of the Philippines was opened in Karachi," he said.
He also referred to the island region of Mindanao, which has a significant Muslim population and has seen numerous outbreaks of militancy and separatism.
"We, in Pakistan, admire the consistent endeavors of Your Excellency towards restoration of peace and stability in the Mindanao region, which has brought increased trust and stability and trust among the stakeholders and significant prosperity for the people of the region and the country," Kazi said.
In 2017, Duterte declared martial law in the entire Mindanao following a five-month siege of Marawi City by Daesh-affiliated militants.
During the same ceremony, the Philippine president also promised to expand defense cooperation with India, as he welcomed New Delhi's envoy Shambhu Kumaran.
“The Philippines is committed to further enhance cooperation with India in defense, security, trade and investments, and in combating the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said, adding that India-Philippines relations were driven by synergies between his administration’s "independent foreign policy" and India’s Act East strategy.
Philippine’s Duterte says wants to expand defense, counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan
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Philippine’s Duterte says wants to expand defense, counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan
- Philippine president received the credentials of Pakistan's new ambassador to Manila on Wednesday
- He said he wants to expand military-to-military exchanges and intelligence sharing with Pakistan
Pakistan, seven Muslim nations back Palestinian technocratic body, stress Gaza-West Bank unity
- The National Committee for the Administration of the Gaza Strip was announced on January 14
- Muslim nations call for consolidation of the ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian aid into Gaza
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and seven other Muslim-majority countries on Thursday welcomed the formation of a temporary Palestinian technocratic body to administer Gaza, stressing that it must manage daily civilian affairs while preserving the institutional and territorial link between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank amid the ongoing peace efforts.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Türkiye, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates said the newly announced National Committee for the Administration of the Gaza Strip would play a central role during the second phase of a broader peace plan aimed at ending the war and paving the way for Palestinian self-governance.
“The Ministers emphasize the importance of the National Committee commencing its duties in managing the day-to-day affairs of the people of Gaza, while preserving the institutional and territorial link between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, ensuring the unity of Gaza, and rejecting any attempts to divide it,” the statement said.
The committee, announced on Jan. 14, is a temporary transitional body established under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803 and is to operate in coordination with the Palestinian Authority, the ministers said.
The statement said the move forms part of the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s Comprehensive Peace Plan for Gaza, which the ministers said they supported, praising Trump’s efforts to end the war, ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces and prevent the annexation of the occupied West Bank.
The top leaders of all eight Muslim countries attended a meeting with Trump in New York last September, shortly before he unveiled the Gaza peace plan.
The ministers also called for the consolidation of the ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian aid into Gaza, early recovery and reconstruction and the eventual return of the Palestinian Authority to administer the territory, leading to a just and sustainable peace based on UN resolutions and a two-state solution on pre-1967 lines with East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.
