Cayetano, Pompeo meet, discuss Duterte foreign policy, sea row, Korea
FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met in Washington for the first time and discussed how to further strengthen Philippines and United States (US) partnership, including their defense alliance.
Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez in a statement said the meeting allowed Cayetano the opportunity to share with Pompeo the independent foreign policy of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, as well as its position on the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) and the Korean Peninsula.
“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 in a statement on Thursday.
According to Romualdez, the foreign affairs secretary told his counterpart in the meeting of the Philippine’s optimism on the current developments in the Korean Peninsula and the country hopes that the positive momentum generated by the Singapore Summit bode well for the broader Asia-Pacific region.
Romualdez added that the Cayetano also delivered a personal letter from Duterte congratulating President Donald Trump for the successful summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore in early June.
National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, who was also in the meeting, conveyed to Pompeo the appreciation of Manila for the assistance and cooperation extended by the US in various areas, including counterterrorism and the rehabilitation of Marawi.
The US has contributed about P1.4 billion or $26.4 million to the Marawi humanitarian cause.
Romualdez said the Pompeo has expressed hope for another meeting between Duterte and Trump as a follow up to the meeting during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit in Manila last November where the two leaders developed a productive and warm friendship. JEFFERSON ANTIPORDA
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