His Excellency Niyazi Evren Akyol, Ambassador of Türkiye to the Philippines, paid a courtesy call on Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr., on September 11, 2023.
The two officials reaffirmed the Philippines and Türkiye’s shared commitment to a long-term partnership, particularly in advancing defense industry cooperation and greater security of supply chains in light of today’s geopolitical and environmental challenges.
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro issued a statement on the recent development in the West Philippine Sea.
“The statement of China that the grounded Sierra Madre is causing irrevocable harm is to put it as politely as possible–hypocritical.
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! China continues to damage the WPS by its illegal reclamation activities in the SCS and it was found to be a violator of international law in the 2016 Arbitral Award when such activities damaged the marine environment.
Disingenuous propaganda lines such as this only serve to expose China’s insincerity and will only heighten the mistrust by the Filipino people and the rest of the world of the Chinese Government,” the statement ended.
The Bench Files 
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