Philippines, US set more high-level meets to strengthen alliance

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and the United States have discussed ways to further strengthen the alliance between the two countries with more high-level visits, meetings and defense-related activities in the first half of 2022.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. met on Saturday with US Undersecretary of State for political affairs Victoria Nuland on the sidelines of the G7 Ministerial Meetings in Liverpool, United Kingdom held from Dec. 10 to 12.

“I was very pleased with their firm assurances that the United States continues to regard the Philippines as a crucial ally in the region, and that it stands ready to support the Philippines, including against armed attacks on our armed forces, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific,” Locsin said.

On the other hand, Nuland said: “We are proud to stand with you and we are very proud to see how you stood for international law.”

During the meeting with Locsin, Nuland said they discussed ways to further support the rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region.

The meeting is part of the two countries’ enhanced and sustained bilateral engagement in pursuit of their common national security objectives and post-pandemic recovery agenda.

Building on the series of visits by Philippine and US officials this year, including the most recent Bilateral Strategic Dialogue, the DFA said the two officials discussed the next steps to strengthen relations and cooperation within the context of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations to address current and emerging challenges.

Locsin and Nuland also tackled preparations for the Special US-ASEAN Summit the US is proposing to host in January.

“They also discussed arrangements for the Two-Plus-Two Ministerial Dialogue that was previously agreed upon by the respective defense and foreign secretaries,” the DFA said in a statement.

Locsin congratulated the US for its successful virtual hosting of the Summit for Democracy last week with the participation of President Duterte.

Recounting the messages of both Presidents Duterte and Biden at the summit, the two officials underscored the countries’ shared commitment to the protection and promotion of democratic ideals and principles and to continuing work on imperfect democracies to ensure that they benefit people, especially the poor and marginalized.

Locsin invited the US to support the UN Joint Program on Human Rights, noting that its contribution would be “an expression of your support to a long-standing ally and to our shared commitment to democracy and the rule of law.”

He also expressed gratitude for the close to 20 million donated doses of Pfizer, Moderna and Janssen vaccines that the Philippines received from the US through the COVAX Facility.

Philippines, France deepen ties

Meanwhile, the Philippines and France have discussed opportunities to deepen bilateral cooperation in the fields of defense, maritime safety and security.

Locsin and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian talked on regional and bilateral issues as they met for the first time on Saturday in Liverpool.

Both officials underscored the importance of the ASEAN-European Union cooperation in addressing new and existing global concerns, including climate change and maritime security.

Le Drian had previously stressed that the Indo-Pacific region would be a priority for France when it assumes the presidency of the European Union in 2022.

Japan reaffirmscommitment

In a related development, Japan reaffirmed its commitment to strengthen the strategic partnership with the Philippines.

During a phone call on Wednesday, Locsin and new Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa discussed key areas of Philippine-Japan bilateral cooperation, addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, Mindanao peace process and maritime security and safety.

Locsin conveyed appreciation for Japan’s vaccine donation, emergency grant assistance, crisis response support program and loan packages that contributed greatly to the Philippines’ COVID-19 response and recovery efforts.

On the maritime issue, Hayashi expressed his strong opposition to unilateral attempts to change by force the status quo in the East and South China Seas.

Locsin said the Philippines values Japan’s statements of support for the arbitral award and for an international law-based order in the South China Sea, adding that such formal demonstrations of support send a message of respect for outcomes of diplomatic and legal processes as well as strengthen the legal order over the seas.