EU to help PH on maritime security, says European Commission chief

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos welcomes European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday, July 31, 2023. Von der Leyen will be in the Philippines for a two-day visit to discuss areas of trade, digital transition, and other topics with government and business leaders. (Photo from Ali Vicoy/Pool)

MANILA, Philippines — European Commission (EC) president Ursula von der Leyen tells Philippine government that the European Union (EU) will be ready to share information and help in assessing threats in the country’s maritime security.

She said EU is doing this amid increased tensions in the region.

She added the union fully supports a “free and open Indo-Pacific.”

EC is part of the executive body of EU.

“We are ready to strengthen the cooperation with the Philippines on maritime security in the region by sharing information, conducting threat assessment and building the capacity of your national CoastWatch center and your Coast Guard,” von der Leyen told Marcos as she read a joint press statement.

“The European Union (EU) has been very supportive of a free and open Indo-Pacific, because an Indo-Pacific free of the threats of coercion is key to all our stability to our peace, and to the prosperity of our people,” she noted.

“The European Union underlines that the 2016 award of the arbitral tribunal on the South China Sea is legally binding, and that it provides the basis for peaceful resolving disputes between the parties,” she also pointed out.

According to von der Leyen, the negative effects of security concerns in other parts of the world are not confined within the areas of conflict, as people across the world also suffer from war-related consequences.

Examples are high cost of energy and expensive prices of raw materials and food.

“The global geopolitical landscape is changing. It is volatile. It is more threatening,” she observed.

“Authoritarian leaders show that they are willing to act on their threats,” she said.

“Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine shakes the foundation of the international order. It is in violation of the UN Charter and the fundamental principles of international law, such as territorial integrity and sovereignty,” she emphasized.

“And this is why Europe supports Ukraine’s brave fight against the aggressor, because the illegal use of force cannot be tolerated. Not in Ukraine. Not in the Indo-Pacific,” she stressed.

“Security in Europe and security in the Indo-Pacific is indivisible. Challenges to the rules-based order in our interconnected world affect all of us,” she further said.

Von der Leyen is in the Philippines for a two-day official visit.

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