Philippines and Germany agree to broaden defence agreement

The Philippines and Germany have agreed to deepen military cooperation, their defence ministers said on Sunday.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro met in Manila and pledged to sign a defence cooperation agreement by the end of the year. Teodoro said the agreement would focus on "mutual understanding regarding capabilities, training and exchange of information". Pistorius is the first German defence minister to visit the Philippines.