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Manila Bulletin devider devider PH eyeing procurement of 'small and sleek' aircraft, short firearms from Czech Republic

PH eyeing procurement of 'small and sleek' aircraft, short firearms from Czech Republic

Published Nov 30, 2018 04:20 pm
By Roy Mabasa The Philippine government is eyeing the procurement of "small and sleek" aircraft and short firearms from the Czech Republic to boost the country’s defense capability and augment its arsenal in fighting insurgents and rebels. 1024px-1977_CZ-75 copy Czech Republic short firearm (photo courtesy of Wikipedia) This development came a year after Manila and Prague inked an agreement focusing on cooperation in the field of defense and security, and the establishment of a Joint Defense Committee (JDC) aimed to organize “concrete cooperation activities.” It was learned that the inaugural JDC meetings will immediately take place in 2019. The Philippine government has conveyed its desire to procure the small planes and short firearms to outgoing Czech Ambassador to the Philippine Jaroslav Olša Jr. The Czech Republic is one of the biggest manufacturers of small firearms and other defense equipment in the world. On May 29, representatives from the two countries led by Defense Undersecretary Ricardo David Jr. and Czech Deputy Minister Jakub Landovský signed the defense cooperation agreement in Prague. Aside from the security aspect, the agreement also calls for cooperation on procurement policy, defense logistics, peace-keeping and humanitarian operations, compliance with international treaties of defense, security and arms control, personnel management, military training and education, and other activities that may be agreed by both parties. While negotiations on the defense cooperation are ongoing, both Manila and Prague are currently working on possible “high-level” visits of officials from the two sides. The Czech government has invited Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. to visit Prague next month for the possible signing of a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of Philippine-Czech Republic political consultation mechanism. On the other hand, newly designated Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček expressed his desire to visit Manila soon to further strengthen the bilateral ties between the two countries.
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