Pakistani Ambassador to the Philippines Dr. Imtiaz Ahmad Kazi said on Wednesday that his country is willing to help the Philippines modernize its armed forces.
During a roundtable hosted by The Manila Times, the official stated that Pakistan could share military equipment such as arms, ammunition, and drones with the Southeast Asian country to boost their alliance.
He mentioned the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra as a producer of warplanes such as the JF-17 Thunder, which could be shared with the Philippines.
“We have some of the best equipment manufactured in the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra, and [the Philippine military] is looking for some of those,” Kazi remarked. “We can share with all friendly countries to whatever extent we can for the interest of the promotion of peace and to eliminate terrorism.”
The ambassador explained that, for legal reasons, a memorandum of understanding must be finalized before Pakistan can share its weaponry.
He also described the Philippines as Pakistan’s “brotherly country” because they are both balancing their relations with the United States and China.
“Pakistan can always share equipment as well as training facilities, and we would look forward to that,” he said. “But this needs to have an MOU (memorandum of understanding) finalized so we would have it institutionalized,” Kazi added.
Cooperate Sought in Countering Terrorism
In December, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte expressed his country’s interest in expanding cooperation with Pakistan in the fight against terrorism.
His statement came two years after declaring martial law in the southern Philippines to radical Islamic and narco-terrorism.
“Let me extend our military-to-military exchanges and sharing of intelligence and best practices, particularly in countering terrorism and violence,” the chief executive said.
In response, Kazi lauded the leadership and “far-sighted” policies of Duterte particularly in restoring peace and order to his country.
“We, in Pakistan, admire the consistent endeavors of your excellency towards the restoration of peace and stability in the Mindanao region, which has brought increased trust and stability among the stakeholders, and significant prosperity for the people of the region and the country,” the ambassador explained.