Defense and security dominated the cooperation agenda when Polish President Karol Nawrocki visited Manila, with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. saying on Tuesday that the two countries' deepening defense ties are anchored by the Philippines' acquisition of S-70 Black Hawk combat utility helicopters from Poland.

Speaking at a livestreamed joint press conference with Mr. Nawrocki at Malacañan Palace, Mr. Marcos framed the helicopter deal as a key element of the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

“We welcomed in particular the steady progress in Philippines-Poland defense cooperation, which includes our acquisition of S-70 Black Hawk combat utility helicopters from Poland,” Mr. Marcos said.

Mr. Nawrocki noted that the helicopters are produced by PZL Mielec in Poland and already serve the Filipino armed forces. “We want to develop this cooperation also in other areas,” he said. The Black Hawk is among the most widely used military utility helicopters in the world.

Mr. Marcos also said Poland has taken part as an observer in the Philippines' annual Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) military exercises with the United States since 2025. Manila, he added, looks forward to building on the outcomes of the inaugural Philippines-Poland Joint Defense Cooperation Committee, including through joint training and educational opportunities.

Also on Tuesday, the Philippines and Poland signed an agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, with both presidents witnessing the ceremony at Malacañang. Justice Secretary Fredderick A. Vida signed for the Philippines, while Ignacy Niemczycki, Poland's secretary of state at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, signed for Warsaw.

The pact is meant to strengthen cooperation in preventing and combating crime by enabling enhanced legal assistance and closer collaboration in criminal proceedings between the two countries' authorities.

Mr. Marcos described the signing as part of steady progress in legal cooperation between the two nations. “I am also pleased with the progress in legal cooperation between our two countries, marked by the signing of the Agreement on a Transfer of Sentenced Persons earlier this year, and today, as we have just witnessed, the signing of the Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters,” he said. Both sides, he added, “affirmed our readiness to commence negotiations on an extradition agreement.”

Beyond security, the two leaders discussed trade, agriculture, science and technology, energy and people-to-people ties during their bilateral meeting. Mr. Marcos said both sides were keen to finalize a memorandum of understanding on information and communications technology cooperation, covering cybersecurity, e-governance and digital connectivity.

On regional security, Mr. Marcos said “incursions or attempts to change territorial definitions are unacceptable in both Poland and in the Philippines,” adding that both countries favor keeping lines of communication open. The leaders also discussed the South China Sea and the war in Ukraine. The South China Sea, one of the world's busiest trade corridors, has long been the scene of maritime disputes between Manila and Beijing, while NATO member Poland shares a land border with Ukraine, which Russia invaded in 2022.

“The security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific can no longer be approached separately,” Mr. Nawrocki said.

The Polish president also said Poland wants a permanent presence in the Group of 20 (G20) format, noting that the ASEAN Summit in Manila matters because representatives of Southeast Asia's most important economies gather there. “We are seeking to have a permanent presence in the G20 format,” he said. “Poland is very much interested in raising our relationship to the level of a strategic partnership,” he added.

Mr. Marcos likewise welcomed Poland's accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, the 1976 ASEAN pact committing its parties to the peaceful settlement of disputes and the renunciation of the threat or use of force, signed in Manila on July 24, and said the two sides discussed expanding ties between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Poland.

“The Philippines also looks forward to building on the momentum of this visit and exploring even more ways to enhance our cooperation with Poland in the years ahead,” Mr. Marcos said.

Mr. Nawrocki and First Lady Marta Nawrocka are in Manila for a four-day visit, running from Oct. 5 to Oct. 8.

— Erika Mae P. Sinaking, BusinessWorld