- Title: Russia offers Philippines arms and close friendship
- Date: 4th January 2017
- Summary: MANILA, PHILIPPINES (JANUARY 4, 2017) (REUTERS) RUSSIAN ANTI-SUBMARINE SHIP ADMIRAL TRIBUTS ADMIRAL TRIBUTS RUSSIAN FLAG FLYING RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE PHILIPPINES, IGOR KHOVAEV, SITTING DOWN FOR NEWS CONFERENCE ON SHIP KHOVAEV SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE PHILIPPINES, IGOR KHOVAEV, SAYING: "As far as I understand that for the Philippines there is an objective need to diversify the range of the circle of your foreign partners. We are talking about diversification. It's not a choice between these partners and those ones. Diversification means preserving and keeping old traditional partners and getting new ones. So Russia is ready to become a new reliable partner and close friend of the Philippines." KHOVAEV SPEAKING TO REPORTERS KHOVAEV SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE PHILIPPINES, IGOR KHOVAEV, SAYING: "We are ready to supply small arms and light weapons, some airplanes, helicopters, submarines and many, many other weapons. Sophisticated weapons. More than weapons. Not the second-hand ones." JOURNALIST SPEAKING TO KHOVAEV (SOUNDBITE) (English) RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE PHILIPPINES, IGOR KHOVAEV, SAYING: "We never use military cooperation as a kind of political leverage on our partners. The military cooperation with Russia has no political conditionality. That's the best possible assurance. And in the history of military ties of Russia with all our partners around the world, there has never been, never I'm saying again never been, any kind of interference, any kind of link between military cooperation and political pressure. That's not possible at all." NEWS CONFERENCE ENDING KHOVAEV WALKING AWAY VARIOUS OF ADMIRAL TRIBUTS
- Embargoed: 19th January 2017 12:09
- Keywords: Russia envoy ambassador navy military alliance foreign partner
- Location: MANILA, PHILIPPINES
- City: MANILA, PHILIPPINES
- Country: Philippines
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0015XO0407
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Russia is ready to become a "new reliable partner" of the Philippines to supply the traditional U.S. ally with sophisticated weapons, Russia's ambassador said on Wednesday (January 4).
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has thrown the future of Philippine-U.S. relations into question with angry outbursts against the former colonial power and some scaling back of military ties while taking steps to boost ties with China and Russia.
Illustrating the transformation of Philippine foreign relations since Duterte took office in June, two Russian warships are on four-day visit to Manila this week, the first official navy-to-navy contact between the two countries.
Russian Ambassador Igor Anatolyevich Khovaev took the opportunity to hold a news conference on board the anti-submarine vessel Admiral Tributs.
He said he understood that the Philippines was intent on diversifying its foreign partners.
"It's not a choice between these partners and those ones. Diversification means preserving and keeping old traditional partners and getting new ones," he said.
"We don't interfere with your relations with your traditional partners and your traditional partners should respect the interest of the Philippines and Russia."
The Russian navy visit comes less than a month after Duterte sent his foreign and defence ministers to Moscow to discuss arms deals after a U.S. senator said he would block the sale of 26,000 assault rifles to the Philippines due to concern about a rising death toll in a war on drugs launched by Duterte.
Khovaev said Russia had a range of weapons to offer.
"We are ready to supply small arms and light weapons, some aeroplanes, helicopters, submarines and many, many other weapons. Sophisticated weapons. Not the second-hand ones," Khovaev said.
He said it was too early to talk about the scope of military cooperation but, in a clear reference to the United States, said old allies should not worry. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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