MANILA -- Russia's donation of equipment to the Philippine military shows the country's deepening ties with one of the world's superpowers.
This was stressed by Department of National Defense (DND) public affairs chief Arsenio Andolong when sought for comments after the formal turnover of the Russian donation Wednesday.
The donation consists of 20 multi-purpose Ural 4320 vehicles, 5,000 units of AK-74M Kalashnikov assault rifles, 1 million rounds of 7.62mm steel core bullets, and 5,000 units of SH-68 steel helmets.
The items were transported by a Russian naval flotilla that arrived on October 20 and was expected to depart on Thursday.
"This gesture by the Russian Federation is a sign of deepening relations that we are developing with Russia and the equipment donated will be used by various operations by (the) Armed Forces of the Philippines, primarily in counter terrorism efforts," he added.
The donation also demonstrates Moscow's intention to expand their network with other nations in the global community, Andolong stressed.
This initiative is in line with President Rodrigo Duterte's efforts to broaden the Philippines' relationship with other nations.
"I think this is the right time to forge cooperation with Russia," the DND public affairs office chief added. (PNA)
