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| Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. (Photo from Inquirer) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] MANILA— Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday reaffirmed the two countries’ commitment to a stronger alliance, as they discussed Manila and Washington’s security cooperation. “[Sec. Locsin and Sec. Austin] reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen the alliance and discussed updates in PH-US defense and security cooperation,” said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), PH Inquirer reported.
On Friday afternoon, Austin paid a “productive visit” to the DFA’s main building, where he met with Locsin. According to US Embassy to the Philippines Chargé d’affaires John Law, Locsin and Austin “reflected on the achievements of the bilateral relationship and the friendship between our two countries.” They “discussed the breadth of the U.S.-Philippine bilateral relationship, spanning security, COVID-19 response, economy, education, culture, and people-to-people ties,” the embassy, meanwhile, said in a tweet.
“The alliance has stayed strong and overcome challenges. It is vital to maintaining stability in the Asia-Pacific region. All the protagonists in the region, without a single exception, see a strong US presence as imperative to peace and stability in Southeast Asia,” Locsin said in his remarks on Austin’s visit to the Philippines.
