The Philippines and Germany have agreed on an expanded defense cooperation arrangement which hopefully could be signed as quickly as possible.

Visiting German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in a joint press conference Sunday with Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr that both sides are ''working the draft and we are negotiating this... as soon as possible.

Teodoro said a defense cooperation agreement will center ''on a mutual understanding regarding capabilities, training and in exchange of information and the traditional defense cooperation agreements bilateral countries have.''

''Hopefully as soon as possible, hopefully within this year,'' added Teodoro about the agreement.

Teodoro said the cooperation with Germany will depend on '' German defense firms to furnish our requirements under the rehorizon 3.''

''Secondly, of course we are looking forward to defense cooperation and we hope that the new self defense posture law which is passed which will allow foreign participation most specifically in the merging in disruptive technology, '' he added.

Pistorius, who is winding up his Indo-Pacific tour with his Philippine trip, said ''we want to show that Germany and also other countries in Europe also the United States are support(ing) standing up for advocating for the rules based international order.''

''We are trying to send this message of how security and stability are important in one region as well as in the other and that security and stability in both regions are interconnected,'' he said. DMS