00:00so
00:23followed by the honorable secretary of defense
00:30and the signing of our reciprocal
00:59access agreement has brought this partnership to an unprecedented level.
01:06Today we still have an opportunity to take stock of the progress we have made and to
01:11discuss how we can deepen our already robust bilateral cooperation.
01:16Today we have witnessed a historic event, signing of the reciprocal access agreement,
01:22and we have had, prior to this signing, extensive discussions with Minister Kihara, no less
01:29than four occasions.
01:31Today marks the beginning of our enhancement of bilateral defense and military relations.
01:48Today we convene the second Philippines-Japan Foreign Defense Ministerial Meeting.
01:54This meeting marks a milestone in our decade-old strategic partnership.
01:59We reaffirmed our shared goals of ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,
02:05promoting regional economic growth, and addressing the increasing and complex challenges in the
02:11region and beyond.
02:14Today it is indeed an honor to be part of the signing of this historic reciprocal access
02:21agreement between Japan and the Philippines.
02:24It will put flesh into our already strong and robust bilateral relations, and it will
02:31be a great step towards the concretization of trust.
02:38And now comes the work of building confidence among the members of the Japanese Self-Defense
02:44Force and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
02:47It will also lead to greater interoperability, exchanges of information, and other cooperative
02:54activities, both bilaterally and multilaterally.
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