Manila: Senior officials from South Korea and the Philippines gathered in Manila for their annual talks aimed at bolstering bilateral maritime cooperation, focusing on areas including the economy and security, as reported by Seoul's foreign ministry on Saturday. The discussions, held a day prior and led by Lee Dong-gy, director-general for ASEAN affairs at South Korea's foreign ministry, and Emmanuel Donato Guzman, assistant secretary of maritime and ocean affairs at the Philippines' foreign ministry, marked the fourth meeting of its kind.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the meeting touched on the preparation for a memorandum of understanding between the two nations. This agreement seeks to facilitate a joint response to transnational crimes such as maritime drug smuggling through information sharing. Furthermore, both parties agreed on the importance of enhancing combined drills for humanitarian support and disaster relief, as well as cooperation in shipbuilding and shipping.
The officials concluded the talks with an agreement to reconvene in South Korea for the next round of bilateral maritime discussions next year.