The Philippines and Canada are expected to sign a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) following talks aimed at improving defense and security cooperation between the two countries, Manila’s defense minister announced on Friday.
According to a statement from the Philippines’ defense ministry, the agreement will establish a framework for improved military and defense cooperation and coordination between the two countries, as well as better interoperability between their forces.
Canada has supported the Philippines’ stance in the South China Sea, backing a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that said China’s vast South China Sea claims had no legal basis.
In 2023, the Philippines and Canada signed an arrangement for the use of Ottawa’s Dark Vessel Detection system to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing by vessels that have switched off their location transmitters to evade detection.
Amid escalating Indo-Pacific tensions, the Philippines has expanded its security relationships while maintaining its long-standing treaty alliance with the United States.
It completed comparable negotiations with New Zealand last month, and the two countries hope to sign an official agreement in the second quarter of this year.
Last year, the Philippines inked a reciprocal access pact with Japan, Tokyo’s first in Asia, allowing both forces to deploy on each other’s country.
