MANILA – Sweden has expressed “deep concern” for what it calls “repeated dangerous manoeuvres” against Philippine vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and the South China Sea.
In his speech delivered on Thursday during the Swedish National Day celebration in Makati City, Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson mentioned that “such acts put human lives at risk, undermine regional stability and international norms, and threaten security in the region and beyond.”
Minister Jonson added that such acts are not only threats to the Philippines’ national security, but also to what he calls “our common global security”.
He added that Sweden stands firmly behind the call of the European Union and others for restraint and full respect of international law - to ensure peaceful resolution of differences and a reduction of tensions in the region.
The UN Charter, UNCLOS, and the Arbitration Award of 2016, as well as other relevant international rules and regulations relating to the safety of life at sea, should be respected at all times, Jonson stressed.
Although not mentioning any specific country, the Philippines has been calling out China for its recent announcement of its approval of new regulations authorizing its coast guard to “detain foreign trespassers without trial for up to 60 days” who will be caught crossing on its claimed borders in the South China Sea.
This is not withstanding other incidences of shadowing, blocking and harassing of China Coast Guard and militia vessels against Philippine Coast Guard vessels and vessels of Filipino fishermen conducting humanitarian missions in the WPS.
Jonson earlier met Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro in Manila to discuss potential opportunities in strengthening the defense cooperation between Sweden and the Philippines, at the same time, highlighting Sweden’s increasing interest in further engagements with like-minded nations such as the Philippines in the context of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region.
He also revealed that Sweden is about to launch its Defense Policy Strategy for the Indo-Pacific, wherein they are looking to enhance defense dialogues with partners in the region.
“I came from Australia yesterday where I met with my counterpart Richard Marles. And I will also host the Japanese Minister of Defense Minoru Kihara in Sweden in July. Our armed forces are also engaging with regional partners, whilst being mindful of priorities and partners’ interests,” Jonson said.
Jonson mentioned that joining regional exercises and sending officers on higher education in the region are some of the possibilities.
Sweden is also ready to deepen collaborations with the Philippines in areas such as defense innovation, cyber and space, and can be a long-term partner in security and defense.
(L-R) Hon. Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr., Secretary of National Defense of the Philippines; Ambassador of Sweden to the Philippines; H.E. Pål Jonson Minister of Defence of Sweden; and H.E. Annika Thunborg, PhD, Ambassador of Sweden to the Philippines raise their glasses for a toast in celebration of Sweden National Day 2024 held in Makati City on June 6, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Embassy of Sweden in Manila)
With this, Jonson extended an invitation for Teodoro to visit Sweden on a “mutually convenient date.”
“Our joint Memorandum of Understanding on defense cooperation is an expression of our engagement. And I am happy that we recently signed an Implementing Arrangement for defense acquisition. And most of all I am glad that our cooperation is closer, deeper and more comprehensive than it has ever been before,” Jonson stated.
In June 2023, Sweden and the Philippines concluded the Memorandum of Understanding concerning Cooperation in the Acquisition of Defense Materiel on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, which seeks to advance cooperation in the areas of logistics, technology research and development, defense industry development and exchange of relevant information.
