Duterte canceled an agreement with the US that allowed her a military presence in the country
The President of the Philippines claims he wants military independence and fears that his country will become a target of aggression in the event of war. According to him, the US has placed nuclear weapons in the country. Against the crisis: visa cancellation of his ally in charge of the fight against drugs. Russia and China are staring
Duterte canceled an agreement with the US that allowed her a military presence in the country
Photo: Social Networks and Reuters, edited by Asaf Drury Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has officially announced to the United States that he will cancel a bilateral agreement regarding its military presence in the country - officials said Tuesday. This is after Duterte, who does not hide his dislike of close military relations with Washington, wants his country to be more militarily independent.
The decision was made after the United States revoked the entry visa for his drug war commander, former police chief Ronald Della Rossa, following his connection to the arrest of one of Duterte's prominent critics.
"It is time for us to rely on ourselves, strengthen our safeguards and not rely on any other country," Presidential spokesman Salvador Panello said in a press briefing.
The beginnings of security relations between the Philippines and the United States, its former colonial control in the 1950s, are defined by a Mutual Defense Treaty (MTD) that remains in force, along with the Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) formulated under the Obama administration.
The Military Presence Agreement (VFA), signed in 1998, grants legal status to thousands of American soldiers present in the country for humanitarian aid and military exercises, dozens of which take place each year. It is the first time Duterte has canceled an agreement with the United States, after having spent more than three years serving Washington because of its "hypocrisy" and its treatment of the Philippines as a "dog in the leash."
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To the full articleTrump also tried to persuade. Duterte (Photo: AP)
Rodrigo Duterte, President of the Philippines, January 23, 2020 (Photo: AP)
Despite promises made by senior military officials, Duterte also accuses the United States of carrying out clandestine operations in the country. In a rousing speech yesterday, he said that the United States had placed nuclear weapons in the Philippines and that the presence of U.S. forces was making the Philippines a potential target for aggression.
Duterte's move came after a Senate hearing last week during which his defense and foreign ministers said they supported the agreement, citing its overall benefits. Duterte said even U.S. President Donald Trump believes he will change his mind. "Trump and others are trying to save the agreement. I said I didn't want to," Duterte stressed.
Foreign Secretary Theodoro Luxin confirmed on Twitter that the US Embassy in Manila had been notified. Cancellation of the agreement will take effect within 180 days from the moment one party announces it.
Duterte favors warmer ties with China and Russia, which he praises, which have inflated their military aid, but that is dwarfed by the US $ 1.3 billion that the United States has delivered to the country since 1998.