‘OPEN COMMUNICATION’ President Marcos welcomes US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III to Malacañang upon their arrival in Manila for the 4th Philippines-US Foreign and Defense Ministerial Dialogue or the 2+2 meeting, as this gathering is also called. —Marianne Bermudez
MANILA, Philippines — On the occasion of the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue with the United States held in Manila for this year, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. thanked Washington for its open lines of communication which allowed its “agile” responses to developments in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and the Indo-Pacific region.
“I’m always very happy that these communication lines are very open, so that all of the things that we are doing together, in terms of our alliance, in terms of the specific context of our situation here in the West Philippine Sea and in the Indo-Pacific are continuously examined and reexamined so we are agile in terms of our responses,” Marcos said in his remarks on Tuesday, as he received US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III in Malacañang before the start of their dialogue with their Philippine counterparts Enrique Manalo and Gilberto Teodoro Jr.
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This is the fourth 2+2 dialogue, but the first to be held in Manila. The first dialogue between the foreign and defense chiefs of the Philippines and the US was held in Washington, DC on April 30, 2012, followed by a second dialogue on Jan. 12, 2016.
The third dialogue between the two countries was held on April 12 last year.
The four officials are expected to discuss how to strengthen the alliance between Manila and Washington “in support of the rules-based international order, enhanced economic ties, broad-based prosperity and solutions to evolving regional and global security challenges,” the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Posting on his Facebook and Instagram accounts, the President said “Our steadfast alliance with the US, particularly in the West Philippine Sea and Indo-Pacific Region, ensures the protection of our fishermen and countrymen.”
During the US officials’ courtesy call, Austin said “We’re more than allies. We’re family and it always feels that way when I’m working with our colleagues. We have common interests and common values.”
“We look forward to continuing to work with you and your team to move even further. It’s been a great three and a half years and I look forward to another three and a half or four years in building and strengthening this relationship,” he added.
Blinken called the 2+2 dialogue this year “genuinely historic,” since this was the first time the Philippines was hosting the meeting.
“It’s really evidence of a steady drumbeat, a very high-level engagement between our countries that are covering the full range of issues and opportunities that bring us together, not only security but also economic,” he said.
“We’re truly grateful for this partnership. We look forward to a very good day with our colleagues and to further advancing the critical work that we’re doing together,” Blinken said.
US election campaign
In a statement following the meeting, US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller said Blinken and Austin discussed with Marcos “their shared commitment to upholding international law in the South China Sea.”
“The two secretaries underscored the United States’ ironclad commitments to the Philippines under our Mutual Defense Treaty,” Miller said.
Blinken and Austin also conveyed the “deepest sympathies” of US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to the victims of last week’s Supertyphoon Carina (international name: Gaemi).
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At the start of the meeting, Marcos said he was “a bit surprised” to see the two US officials in Manila given how “interesting” the US political situation has become—a reference to Biden ending his reelection campaign this month and endorsing Harris to take on former President Donald Trump in the Nov. 5 election.
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