By Roy C. Mabasa
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano and United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Thursday (yesterday morning in Manila) in Washington D.C. to reaffirm the partnership between the two countries.
Pompeo is hoping for another meeting between Presidents Duterte and Donald Trump who met on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Manila last year, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said.
“Secretary Pompeo expressed hope for another meeting between President Duterte and President Trump as a follow-up to the “productive and warm friendship” that the two leaders developed during the Philippine hosting of the ASEAN Summit in Manila last November,” Romualdez said.
Duterte sent a personal letter congratulating Trump for his successful summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore last June 12.
Romualdez said Cayetano hand carried Duterte’s letter to Pompeo during their bilateral meeting.
Cayetano, together with National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. and Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for American Affairs Lumen Isleta, is in the US to “underscore the importance of both countries’ shared historical and people-to-people ties and the strength of their defense alliance.”
Romualdez said both sides have agreed to work closely together to further reinforce the partnership between the Philippines and the United States.
Pompeo and Cayetano met for the first time since the former replaced Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
“Secretary Cayetano and Secretary Pompeo had an open and cordial interaction at the State Department today and we are optimistic this would reinforce the ties that bind the relations between our two countries and peoples,” Romualdez said.
He added that the meeting allowed Cayetano the opportunity to share with his counterpart the independent foreign policy of the Duterte administration and its positions on such issues as the South China Sea and the Korean Peninsula.
The US State Department welcomed Cayetano’s visit as both sides explored opportunities to enhance bilateral trade, increase security cooperation, and strengthen people-to-people ties between.
“Secretary Pompeo reaffirmed the longstanding US-Philippines alliance and discussed ongoing efforts to address regional issues such as North Korea, the South China Sea, and counterterrorism,” US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement.
The meeting between Pompeo and Cayetano came at a time when tensions in the South China Sea continue to simmer following recent Chinese activities that prompted Manila to file diplomatic protests against Beijing.
