MANILA, Philippines- Hangad ng Pilipinas at United Kingdom (UK) na palakasin ang ugnayan sa maritime domain awareness (MDA).
Sa isinagawang 2nd Philippine-UK Maritime Dialogue sa London noong Hulyo 5, pinag-usapan ng senior officials mula sa Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) at UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) ang mag paraan para mas lumalim pa ang kolaborasyon o pagtutulungan sa maritime at ocean-related issues.
Mahalagang tinalakay sa naturang dayalogo ang pagtutulungan sa MDA, kaligtasan ng international merchant shipping vessels at seafarers, cybersecurity challenges sa maritime sector, strategic communications, crisis management, law of the sea, marine environment, at ocean governance.
Pinangunahan ni DFA Assistant Secretary Marshall Louis Alferez ang delegasyon ng Pilipinas kabilang ang mga opisyal mula sa Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Philippine Coast Guard, Maritime Industry Authority, Philippine Space Agency at Philippine Embassy sa London.
Ang delegasyon naman ng UK ay pinangunahan ng FCDO, kabilang na ang pinuno ng Defence and Security Partnerships Department na si Jason Rheinberg, Legal Director Andy Murdoch, pinuno ng South East Asia Department Matthew Findlay at British Ambassador to the Philippines Laure Beaufils.
Pinagtibay ng magkabilang panig ang kanilang pagsunod sa United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), at binigyang-diin ang kahalagahan ng rules-based international order sa South China Sea at greater Indo-Pacific region.
Nagpaabot naman ng suporta ang UK para sa diplomatic approach ng Pilipinas para pangasiwaan ang tensyon sa South China Sea at ang panawagan ng pagsuko sa legally binding 2016 South China Sea Arbitration Award sa ilalim ng UNCLOS.
“The dialogue also explored legal cooperation and exchanged views on the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea’s recent Advisory Opinion on climate change and international law (Case No. 31), deep seabed mining and other pressing maritime and ocean related issues,” ayon sa DFA.
“Both sides commended the depth and comprehensiveness of the discussions, reflecting a strong and growing partnership between the two countries. Both sides expressed commitment to implement the dialogue’s outcomes and agreed action points,” anito pa rin.
Maliban sa dayalogo, binisita rin ng delegasyon ng Pilipinas ang Joint Maritime Security Centre at Maritime Trade Operation Information Centre sa Portsmouth, parehong bumuo ng haligi ng inter-agency architecture on maritime security ng UK sa bayan at ibang bansa.
Nagkaroon naman ng hiwalay na pulong si Alferez kay UK FCDO Director General for Indo-Pacific, Middle East at North Africa Owen Jenkins para talakayin ang strategic issues na may kinalaman sa maritime security cooperation at South China Sea matters ng dalawang bansa.
Ang Philippine-UK Maritime Dialogue ay isang regular bilateral mechanism para sa pagpapalitan ng pananaw ukol sa ‘maritime at ocean related matters’ na pinagmamalasakitan ng iba’t isa. Kris Jose
