By Katrina Gracia Consebido
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. had his first bilateral meeting with United States (US) President Joe Biden to rekindle and strengthen the relationship between the two countries on Thursday, Sept. 22.
During the first in-person meeting between the leaders on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Marcos expressed commitment to strengthening ties with its “long standing ally.”
“The 100-plus-year-old relationship between the Philippines and the US continues to evolve as we face the challenges of this new century and the events that we have been watching over the past few months,” he said.
“We have very much to discuss in terms of redefining I suppose in many ways, but the role of the United States in maintaining the peace in our region is something that is much appreciated by all the countries in the regions and the Philippines especially,” he added.
Marcos also brought up the “very strong foundation of a very long relationship and strong relationships” on the aspect of politics, diplomacy, and economics, and thanked Biden for the assistance the US provided during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also hoped for a continuing relationship with the US to maintain peace in the Southeast Asian region.
“In terms of the geopolitical issues that we face in this day and age, the primary consideration of the Philippines and the guiding principle of the Philippine foreign policy is to encourage peace,” he said.
“And I hope that we will be able to discuss further the roles that our two countries will play together and individually as we continue down that road,” he added.
Meanwhile, Biden is optimistic in rekindling its ties with the Philippines, saying that the two nations’ partnership “has very deep roots.”
“For decades, our alliance has strengthened both of us I believe and one of the things we want to talk about today is how we continue to strengthen it and work together on the things that have greatest concern to you,” he said.
“Today, I look forward to discussing the opportunities for a wide range of issues including COVID-19 recovery, energy security, renewable energy,” he continued.
The US president also thanked Marcos for the Philippines’ position on the Ukraine-Russia war which is affecting food and energy prices, as he vowed to work very hard to address it. –ag
