PH, NZ begin negotiations for Visiting Forces Agreement

THE Philippines and New Zealand officially begun negotiations for the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SoVFA). The first round of talks on Jan. 23, 2025 was hosted by the Philippine government in Manila with Department of National Defense (DND) Undersecretary Pablo Lorenzo and Ministry of Defence (MoD) Director Kathleen Pearce leading the Philippine and New Zealand delegations, respectively.

Delegates from New Zealand included New Zealand Ambassador Catherine McIntosh, Deputy Head of Mission Stacey Kwant, and an analyst from the MoD. Other members of the New Zealand delegation joined virtually.

The Philippine delegation was composed of Department of Justice Undersecretaries Raul Vasquez and Dennis Arvin Chan, Presidential Commission on Visiting Forces Undersecretary Antonio Habulan Jr., Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretaries Aileen Mendiola-Rau and Patrick Chuasoto, and DND Assistant Secretary Erik Lawrence Dy.

STRENGTHENING DEFENSE Photo shows Defense Undersecretary Pablo Lorenzo and Director Kathleen Pearce, head of the International Branch of the Ministry of Defence of New Zealand, together with the members of their respective delegations. PHOTO FROM THE NEW ZEALAND EMBASSY IN MANILA

STRENGTHENING DEFENSE Photo shows Defense Undersecretary Pablo Lorenzo and Director Kathleen Pearce, head of the International Branch of the Ministry of Defence of New Zealand, together with the members of their respective delegations. PHOTO FROM THE NEW ZEALAND EMBASSY IN MANILA

The first round of negotiations marked an important step in strengthening bilateral defense ties between the Philippines and New Zealand. A commitment to conclude a SoVFA was among the key outcomes agreed between Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon during the latter's visit to Manila in April 2024.

A SoVFA would reinforce the agreement between the DND and the Armed Forces of the Philippines with the MoD of New Zealand concerning Defence Cooperation, which was signed in 2017. It would enable both countries' armed forces to elevate their cooperative activities and conduct exercises in each other's territories, deepening overall defense and military cooperation.