US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III on Tuesday reassured President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. that the US government considers the Philippines more than just an ally.
The US also sees the Philippines as family, according to Secretary Austin.
“I’ve said a number of times that we’re more than allies, we’re family, and it always feels that way when, you know, I’m working with our colleagues,” Austin told President Marcos.
“You know, we have common interests, common values, and so I think we’ve done a lot for the last three and a half years to continue to strengthen our alliance, and we look forward to continuing to work with you and your team to move even further,” he added.
The US Defense chief made the remarks during a joint courtesy call to President Marcos at the Malacañan Palace on Tuesday with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Austin said the US government “looks forward to another three and a half or another four in building – strengthening this relationship.”
The two US officials are currently in the Philippines to attend the Fourth Philippines-United States 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, the first in Manila.
It is a policy-level dialogue co-chaired by the Secretaries of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of National Defense (DND), and the US Department of State and Department of Defense.
For his part, Blinken described their visit to the Philippines as “genuinely historic.”
“This is the first time that the Philippines has hosted our 2+2. It’s, I think, 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, and we’re truly grateful for this partnership,” Blinken said.
“We look forward to a very good day with our colleagues and to further advancing the critical work that we’re doing together,” he added.
The Philippines-US formal diplomatic relations span 78 years since their formal establishment on July 4, 1946.
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