Russian envoy visits AFP chief

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MANILA — Russian Ambassador to the Philippines Igor Khovaev on Monday met with Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff Gen. Felimon Santos Jr., in what was described as “introductory courtesy call”.

This took place at AFP General Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, AFP public affairs office chief Captain Jonathan Zata said in a statement.

“The meeting was an introductory courtesy call requested by Ambassador Khovaev to General Santos who assumed the position on January 4,” he added.

The AFP accorded arrival and departure honors to the Russian envoy which is customary in all diplomatic visits.

Meanwhile, Natalia Linovitskaya, Press Secretary of the Embassy of Russia in the Philippines, said Khovaev’s visit is routine and part of efforts to intensify cooperation between the two nations.

“Russia and the Philippines have their own, absolutely independent course in the bilateral cooperation in military and military-technical spheres,” she added in a statement.

The current status and prospects of the Russian-Philippines military cooperation were among the issues discussed during the bilateral meeting of President Vladimir Putin and President Rodrigo R. Duterte in October last year.

“Now we are just implementing the agreements reached last year. We are just doing our work on the way to develop bilateral cooperation between our nations, including military cooperation,” she added.