MANILA – Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and his American counterpart, State Secretary Antony Blinken, are striving to enhance bilateral ties between the two countries.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) stated in a statement on Saturday that the top diplomats decided to convene their Bilateral Strategic Dialogue (BSD) in November and the 2 Plus 2 Ministerial Dialogue in early 2022.
The BSD is an important platform for consultation and exchange of ideas on a wide variety of bilateral, regional, and global issues, as well as dialogue of political, security, and economic cooperation between Manila and Washington, DC.
The 2 Plus 2 Ministerial Dialogue, on the other hand, entails a joint meeting of the two countries’ foreign and defense ministers.
“We want to ramp up our bilateral engagement to ensure that our alliance remains strong and resilient,” Locsin said during his meeting with Blinken at the State Department in Washington DC on Friday.
He emphasized the significance of the Mutual Defense Treaty, underlining the need for the Philippines to improve its defense capabilities in order to meet its treaty obligations.
Locsin met Blinken for the first time in person on September 10 on his working visit to the US.
Both representatives reiterated the Philippines’ and the United States’ long-standing alliance and partnership as the two nations mark 75 years of diplomatic relations and the 70th anniversary of the MDT.
Locsin also expressed President Rodrigo Duterte’s “utmost appreciation” for the US government’s donation of more than six million vaccines to Manila.
