MANILA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Twenty aides of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte have been sent to Moscow to undergo a training on protecting VIPs or very important persons, a Philippine diplomat said Tuesday.

Philippine Ambassador to Russia Carlos Sorreta said that the 20-man delegation from the Presidential Security Group (PSG) was sent to Moscow from Feb. 27 to March 11 to undergo a VIP protection training program with the Federal Protective Service of Russia.

"This training in Russia is a historic first for the PSG and augurs very well for Philippines-Russia relations," said Sorreta in a statement posted on his Facebook page.

He said the training "is a manifestation of the growing trust and confidence between the two sides which in turn generates positive momentum for deeper cooperation in the field of security and other areas of mutual interest."

He said the capacity-building activity is one of the concrete results of the visit of Nikolay Patrushev, the chairman of the Security Council of Russia, to the Philippines in February.

During his visit, Patrushev met with Duterte, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon to discuss a wide range of bilateral security matters, including defense and security cooperation.

Duterte is scheduled to visit Russia in May this year to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.