Manila, March 8 -- Swedish lawmakers on Friday expressed support for a greater defense cooperation between the Philippines and Sweden, suggesting an expansion of engagement to "building security" and "defending freedom of navigation."

Seven members of the Swedish Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs are in the Philippines for an official visit from March 6 to 8.

In a media roundtable in Makati City, the delegation recognized that the Philippines and Sweden, as coastal and maritime nations, share distinct similarities, especially in causes to intensify their push for a rules-based order.

"We have sea, in our area the Baltic Sea where we have a big neighbor that do a lot of provocations, and this is the same here in the South China ...