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CANADA
wants to follow the tack of the United States and other
countries that have existing military agreements with
the Philippines by engaging Filipino soldiers in war
exercises.
The aim
is to train members of the Armed Forces and jointly work
with them in ensuring security in the region, especially
in the field of maritime warfare, said Rear Adm. Tyrone
Pile, commander of the Canadian Fleet in the Pacific.
“One of
the things that we would like to be able to do in the
future is to participate in war exercises and training
engagements that are already pre-established here.
Balikatan is an example. That would be important for us
to start to engage in.”
“Nations
like the
Philippines
and other countries can enhance their capabilities for
maritime-domain awareness and contribute even more
toward maritime security,” he said.
Pile was
at the roundtable discussion on Canada’s Asia-Pacific
Naval Strategy on Tuesday at the
National
Defense College
in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, which was also attended
by Filipino defense, military and police officials.
He
stressed the need to secure the vital sea lanes in the
region in order to ensure the unhampered movement of
goods.
“Our
county is now starting to get a shift in understanding
how important both economically and politically, and in
terms of maritime security, the whole of Asia-Pacific
region is; it’s no doubt its gonna continue to have a
major impact on the economies of Canada and the United
States,” Pile said.
The
visiting Canadian Navy official said the Philippines and
the whole of the Asia-Pacific region are very vital to
the economy of Canada due to its huge investments in
these countries.
Pile
said pursuing military exercises with the Philippines is
also a show of support to the United States’ global
power strategy. Other than the
US,
the Philippines also has an existing agreement with
Malaysia on war exercises.
Her
Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Ottawa will be in the
Philippines during the next six days for a goodwill
visit and to promote Canada’s position as a strong
trading partner and key entry point for international
commerce in the Asia-Pacific region.
Nicolaas
Oosterveen, charges d’affaires of the Canadian Embassy
in Manila, said the visit of the HMCS Ottawa, a frigate
of the Canadian Naval Forces demonstrates Canada’s
strong relations with the Philippines. The ship will be
docked at the Port of Manila from June 4 to 9.
HMCS
Ottawa, which is based in
Esquimalt,
British Columbia,
Canada,
was commissioned in September 1996. The frigate is
equipped with state-of-the-art radar facilities and
controls designed to perform a wide range of functions,
from peacetime operations to combat. |
