At a press briefing, Austin noted great progress in building alliances and security partnerships around the globe, including in the Philippines.
“But there’s no greater example of our progress in the Indo-Pacific than the Philippines. When I started as secretary, our ties with the Philippines were at a low point. We were even on the brink of losing our decades-old Visiting Forces Agreement,” Austin said.
“But after three years of intensive engagement and partnership, we are in an entirely new chapter of our alliance,” he said.
He said he will visit Japan and the Philippines, together with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in the coming days.
Austin noted that President Marcos agreed last year to include four new locations under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).
This story is from the July 27, 2024 edition of The Philippine Star.
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This story is from the July 27, 2024 edition of The Philippine Star.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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