US, RP seal new deal vs terrorism, narcos

From the Daily Tribune (Dec 3): US, RP seal new deal vs terrorism, narcos

The United States and the Philippines agreed to strengthen collaboration in areas including counter-terrorism, countering transnational drug trafficking and on maritime security, a joint statement released by the U.S. State Department said.

The agreement came on the heels of the recent visit of US President Donald Trump to the Philippines mid-November where he had a series of talks with President Duterte.

The statement followed a bilateral strategic dialog held in Washington on Thursday and Friday, during which the two sides discussed their shared concerns about security challenges and expressed their desire to strengthen regional cooperation under the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)-U.S. Strategic Partnership.

Senior officials reaffirmed their commitment to deepening collaboration in areas including maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, cybersecurity, countering transnational drug trafficking, and countering terrorism, said the statement.

The State Department also congratulated the Duterte administration on defeating the Islamic State (IS)-supported terrorists in Mindanao and vowed to continue to support the fight against terrorism.
The Philippines has been working on strengthening its long-term ability to combat terrorist threats and prevent the spread of the IS militants to the region.

In the dialog, the United States and the Philippines also eyed to expand bilateral trade, including through exploring a potential Free Trade Agreement, according to the statement.

Both sides noted the substantive discussions on cooperating in areas such as science and technology,
agriculture and fisheries, and health and environment.

The US State Department said in its statement said the seventh Bilateral Strategic Dialogue was held in Washington, D.C. and the US panel was represented by Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Susan Thornton and Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs David Helvey while the Philippine delegation was led by Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Enrique Manalo and Department of National Defense Undersecretary Ricardo David.

The dialog “is a key mechanism for discussing the full range of political, security, and economic cooperation between the United States and the Philippines,” the statement read.

It said four working groups convened to develop action plans for expanding our joint partnership on Defense and Security; Economics, Development, and Prosperity; Regional and Global Diplomatic Engagement; and Rule of Law and Law Enforcement.

During the dialog, senior officials discussed a wide variety of issues of mutual interest and reaffirmed their commitment to deepening collaboration in areas including maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, cybersecurity, countering transnational drug trafficking, countering terrorism, and improving drug prevention and treatment services, as well as combating wildlife trafficking and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, it added.

US-RP FTA taken up

It added that the U.S. and Philippine delegations reaffirmed their commitment to deepening the extensive economic relationship between the two countries.

“Both sides noted the substantive discussions on cooperating In areas such as science & technology, agriculture and fisheries, and health and environment. They welcomed the bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) discussions held on November 29, and look forward to more robust discussions on ways to expand free, fair and reciprocal bilateral trade, including through exploring a potential Free Trade Agreement,” it said.

In the talks, the US and the Philippines discussed their shared concerns about security challenges in the region and pledged to work together to end North Korea’s unlawful ballistic missile and nuclear programs.

The State Department said it welcomed the Philippines’ compliance with the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions.

“Both sides reiterated their commitment to uphold freedom of navigation and overflight and other lawful uses of the sea in the South China Sea, and stressed the importance of peacefully resolving disputes in accordance with international law, as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention,” it added.

Both sides also expressed their desire to strengthen regional cooperation under the Asean-U.S. Strategic Partnership and in APEC, and decided to focus on action plans that would contribute to regional stability, economic integration, and connectivity.

The US congratulated the Philippines on its success as the 2017 ASEAN Chair and for hosting President Trump’s successful visit to Manila, it added.

Regular talks set

The US and the Philippines reaffirmed the importance of regular high-level consultations during the talks. The US welcomed the Philippines’ offer to host the next Bilateral Strategic Dialogue in Manila in 2018.

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo confirmed the talks on a possible bilateral free trade agreement.

Quoting Ambassador to US Jose Manuel Romualdez, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday noted the two nations had a wide-ranging discussion of bilateral economic issues.

“This TIFA meeting came barely a fortnight after the successful bilateral meeting between Philippine President Rodrigo R. Duterte and US President Donald J. Trump in Manila, where the two leaders affirmed their commitment to further deepen the extensive United States-Philippines economic relationship,” Rodolfo quoted Romualdez as saying.

The DFA said Duterte and Trump had a “productive bilateral meeting” in Manila last November.
“This early follow-up is a clear demonstration of the two countries’ shared resolve to enhance our long-standing partnership for mutual prosperity,” Romualdez said.

He said Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano gave him “explicit instructions” to build on his recent visit to Washington, together with the Philippine economic managers, and to follow-up on US-Philippine’s mutual efforts to advance core economic interests.

“I find it auspicious, therefore, that we had a productive and frank TIFA meeting with the US side on my first official day as Philippine Ambassador to the United States,” he said.

In their opening remarks, Rodolfo and Acting Assistant US Trade Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific Karl Ehlers welcomed the opportunity to provide substantive action to the pledge of Presidents Duterte and Trump to nurture the economic ties.
http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/us-rp-seal-new-deal-vs-terrorism-narcos