NANANATILING konsepto, wala pang detalye at kailangan pag-usapang mabuti ang posibleng tripartite agreement sa pagitan ng Pilipinas at dalawang kaalyadong bansa, ang Estados Unidos at Japan.

Sa isang panayam, sinabi ng Pangulo na hindi pa nag-uusap ang delegasyon ng Pilipinas at ang kanilang mga Japanese counterpart hinggil sa bagay na ito.

“It’s just been a proposal… there is another proposal from the Japanese on a US-Japan-Philippines tripartite agreement,” ayon sa Chief Executive.

Nauna rito, sa panayam ng Kyodo News ng Japan, sinabi ni Pangulong Marcos na rerebisahin at susuriing mabuti ng gobyerno ang panukalang tripartite deal sa pagitan ng Pacific nations.

“I think just part of the continuing process of strengthening our alliances because in these rather confusing, and I dare say dangerous, situations that we have, I’m not talking only about the South China Sea, I’m not only talking about the Indo-Pacific region but, of course, there is a conflict still ongoing in Ukraine and the rather disturbing effects that it has all around the world,” ang sinabi ni Pangulong Marcos sa Kyodo News.

Gayundin, sinabi niya na kailangang pag-usapang mabuti “as to what exactly does [the tripartite agreement] entail.”

“[A]nd of course we have to talk to the Americans also para makita kung ano ba talagang roles that are going to be played should there be a tripartite agreement,” ang wika ng Pangulo.

“So ‘yung proposal is in concept pa lang, in principle pa lang. We really dont have—we don’t really have details yet,” dagdag na pahayag nito.

Aniya, handa ang gobyerno ng Pilipinas na magkaroon ng pag-uusap sa mga Japanese at American counterpart nito para plantsahin ang detalye.

“As I said… it’s only been proposed in principle and that’s as far as it goes so far,” ayon sa Punong Ehekutibo.

“Now we have to go back and go into the details of all of those different subjects,” aniya pa rin.

Nauna rito, nagkasundo sina Pangulong Marcos at Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida na palakasin ang defense at security relations sa pagitan ng Pilipinas at Japan.

Welcome din sa dalawang lider ang progreso ng bilateral defense exchanges sa pamamagitan ng Vice Minister’s Defense Dialogue noong Disyembre 2022, Staff Talks noong Hulyo 2022, at Japan-Philippines Military-to-Military Meeting noong Oktubre 2022. (CHRISTIAN DALE)