By Jaime Laude
MANILA, Philippines – Russia wants to hold maritime drills with the Philippines to help combat terrorism and piracy by sending two warships to Manila for the first official navy-to-navy contact.
Rear Admiral Eduard Mikhailov, deputy commander of the Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet, said they want to duplicate the exercises they were holding with other Southeast Asian countries by holding bilateral training here or in Moscow with Filipino sailors.
Russian anti-submarine vessel Admiral Tributs and sea tanker Boris Butoma arrived late on Tuesday for a four-day goodwill visit, with its crew expected to demonstrate anti-terrorism capability and hold talks.
“Our governments will maybe discuss in some period of time the possibilities of our maritime exercises,” Mikhailov told a news conference, adding Russia has been holding drills with the Indonesian navy.
“The biggest problem now in the world is terrorism and piracy, and all our exercises we have, for example, with you we will have to fight these problems and we will show you what we can do and we will see what you can do and show us,” Mikhailov added.
“For sure, in the future we’ll have exercises and build exercises with Philippines. Our government will be discussing… the possibilities of our maritime exercises… maybe just only maneuvering or maybe, use of combat systems and so on,” he said.
A spokesman for the Philippine Navy told reporters this is the first official interaction with the Russian navy, an arch-rival of its former colonial master and closest ally in the region, the United States.
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