Russia offers help to boost Philippine military, police capability

August 8, 2017

Russia has offered assistance to improve the capability of the Philippine military and police as it will also send relief assistance for the displaced families in war-torn Marawi City, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov conveyed this message during his bilateral meeting with Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano during their bilateral meeting at the sidelines of the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Pasay City on Monday, the DFA said in a statement.

The DFA said Cayetano expressed the Duterte administration's appreciation for Moscow's support and its offer of assistance to improve the capabilities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police in dealing with the threat posed by Islamic State-affiliate terrorist groups operating in Mindanao.

"Russia's offer to assist is of vital importance to the Philippines, especially given its great expertise, vast experience and modern equipment in dealing with terrorism and other security concerns," Cayetano said.

He said Lavrov requested him to convey to President Rodrigo Duterte his government's "solidarity with his (Duterte's) efforts to eliminate any extremist threat to your country and our appreciation for your solidarity with Russia's fight against terrorism."

"We believe terrorism is something that must unite all of us," Cayetano quoted Lavrov as saying after he was told about ongoing efforts to prevent the Islamic extremist threat from spreading to the rest of the Philippines.

Cayetano also thanked his Russian counterpart for the offer of the Russian Ministry for Civil Defense, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters to send a cargo aircraft carrying relief assistance for displaced families in Marawi.

Duterte visited Moscow in May. But his trip was cut short after the Islamic State-inspired Maute Terror Group attacked and started occupying Marawi on May 23, prompting him to declare martial law in the whole of Mindanao even if he was still in Russia. Celerina Monte/DMS