MANILA, Philippines -- A draft military agreement between the Philippines and Thailand will be "approved soon," Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff General Alexander Yano assured his Thai counterpart on Tuesday.

Yano met with General Boonsrang Niumpradit, supreme commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, in his office in Camp Aguinaldo and said the visit "signifies the strong defense cooperation and security relation" between the two countries.

The Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) will pave the way for military exercises between the Philippines and Thailand, if approved, said AFP spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres Jr.

"[Yano] said the agreement is expected to be approved soon," Torres said of the two-year-old draft SOVFA.

The Philippines has a military agreement with only one country, the United States, its main military ally. Several joint exercises between are staged in the country every year.

A SOVFA with Australia has been signed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and then Australian Prime Minister John Howard in May 2007 and is pending the ratification of the Philippine Senate.

The Philippines is also eyeing similar agreements with Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, defense officials have said.