Teodoro, Finnish envoy tackle possible defense industry cooperation

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. had a meeting with Ambassador of Finland to the Philippines Saija Nurminen and discussed prospects for defense industry cooperation, the Department of National Defense (DND) said Monday.

In a statement, the DND said Nurminen had an introductory call at the DND office on April 2 where she expressed support for maintaining rules-based international order.

“Ambassador Nurminen conveyed that Finland seeks to cooperate with like-minded countries that uphold a rules-based international order, such as the Philippines,” the Defense Dept. said.

According to the DND, Nurminen also said that Finnish company Nokia wants to help in the Philippines’ Self-Reliant Defense Posture (SRDP) Program.

Teodoro pointed out that Finland's geography and history have honed its robust resilience to threat actors within its region, leading to the country's advanced capabilities in securing its defense supply chains.

“The meeting concluded with Secretary Teodoro expressing the DND's interest in enhancing its cooperation with Finland, particularly in conjunction with the Philippines' Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept in areas relative to defense supply chain management,” the DND said. —Joviland Rita/RF, GMA Integrated News