When Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo meets with State Secretary Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III next week, they are expected to reaffirm the United States’ “ironclad commitment” to its alliance with the Philippines.

“At the 2+2 Ministerial, Secretary Blinken and Secretary Austin will reaffirm the United States’ ironclad commitment to our alliance with the Philippines, which has contributed to peace, stability, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region for more than 70 years,” a statement from the US Department of State said.

“The Ministerial will enable the United States and the Philippines to deepen our bilateral security and economic partnership and strengthen our close collaboration on advancing a free and open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient Indo-Pacific region,” it added.

Both parties have been having high-level exchanges since the Philippines agreed, and eventually identified, four additional sites that US military forces would have access to under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

Department of National Defense (DND) Officer-in-Charge Carlito Galvez will be in Washington, together with Manalo, for the high-level meeting.

The two Philippine officials' meeting with Blinken and Austin would come after Malacañang’s announcement of four EDCA sites—Camilo Osias Naval Base in Sta Ana, Cagayan; Lal-lo Airport in Lal-lo, Cagayan; Camp Melchor dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela and Balabac Island in Palawan.

The move raised concerns in China since both Isabela and Cagayan face north towards Taiwan, while Palawan is near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, where Beijing has sweeping claims and had built artificial islands equipped with runways and missile systems.

But Manila maintains it would bring peace and stability in a region that geopolitical experts believe could be the next military flashpoint, despite Beijing’s insistence that Washington’s presence could shake up decades worth of friendly ties between the two countries.

The meeting “will also mark the 75th anniversary of the Fulbright program in the Philippines and celebrate our deep people-to-people ties.”

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by RAYMUND ANTONIO

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