Russia says it will help the Philippines fight terrorism and drugs

(Baonghean.vn) - The Russian Foreign Minister recently pledged that his country will help the Philippines in the fight against drugs and terrorism, and thanked the Duterte administration for its efforts to promote relations between the two countries.

Speaking after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's visit, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Duterte's visit to Russia has helped develop stable relations between Manila and Moscow.

“I would like to reaffirm our commitment to security cooperation, to the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking and other issues,” Lavrov told Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Cayetano during a meeting between the two officials on May 25 in Moscow.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Philippine counterpart Alan Cayetano during the meeting. Photo: Rappler.

Foreign Minister Lavrov also welcomed the agreements signed by the two sides in the fields of security, nuclear energy, transport, investment, industry, culture and arts, tourism and other foreign affairs. The Russian foreign minister said that other important documents on military and technological cooperation are in the final stages of preparation. During the visit, the two sides signed a total of 10 cooperation agreements.

“The signing of these agreements demonstrates the interest and desire of Russia and the Philippines to pursue extensive cooperation in various fields. In particular, these agreements are expected to contribute to economic growth and promote peace and security in the country, including the Mindanao issue,” Cayetano said.

At the same time, the Philippine Foreign Minister also thanked the Russian government for hosting President Duterte and his delegation, and understood his decision to return home earlier than scheduled. Mr. Cayetano also said that Moscow accepted the preferential loan for the purchase of weapons as requested by President Duterte.

President Duterte was scheduled to visit Russia until May 26, but was forced to cut short his trip due to terrorist attacks in Marawi, southern Philippines. Earlier, the Maute group attacked Marawi City in Lanao del Sur province, forcing the government to declare martial law there.

Philippine government troops were then deployed to deal with dozens of militants from this rebel group, but the results were not very positive. Gunmen from the group seized a priest and more than a dozen worshipers at a church in the city, and threatened to kill the hostages "if the government troops did not retreat".

The group pledged allegiance to the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization in 2015. It is known that on May 26 local time, President Duterte said that Islamic rebels had beheaded a police chief and he warned that he could expand martial law across the entire Philippines.

Nhat Minh

(According to Rappler)