00:00The Visiting Forces Agreement, or VFA, between the Philippines and New Zealand is expected to be ratified very soon.
00:07During the first official visit of New Zealand Defense Prime Minister Judith Collins to the Philippines,
00:13the agreement between the two countries was officially signed, witnessed by President Ferdinand R. Marcus Jr.
00:19This agreement aims to strengthen cooperation between the armed forces of the Philippines and New Zealand through military exercises.
00:26New Zealand becomes the fourth country to have a Visiting Forces Agreement with the Philippines,
00:31joining the United States and Australia in having similar agreements.
00:36The path of New Zealand's enhancing its defense capabilities, squarely in line with the values that we share,
00:47squarely in line with the path that the Philippine defense establishment is taking.
00:52We're a maritime nation like the Philippines.
00:55We're a nation that relies on trade routes and we have respect for the law of the sea.
