Envoy reaffirms US’ ‘ironclad’ commitment to PH after Hegseth visit
Filipino and U.S. soldiers carry their flags during a ceremony to mark U.S. Veterans Day at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial on Nov. 11, 2019. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File MANILA — US Ambassador Lee Lipton on Monday reaffirmed the country’s “ironclad” commitment to the Philippines, after US War Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Cebu for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers’ Meeting last week.
“I want to reaffirm the United States’s enduring commitment to the Philippines and our shared vision for a peaceful, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Lipton said in a statement.
The ambassador said the Philippines and the US have built a “powerful partnership grounded in shared principles, mutual respect, and an unwavering commitment to regional stability.”
He said this is demonstrated every year through joint exercises and training events, hundreds of millions of dollars in US security assistance, expanded maritime cooperative activities, disaster response support, public health assistance, and frequent engagements between senior defense and security leaders.
“We’re in this for the long-term,” Lipton said.
“Our alliance is stronger than ever. We stand firmly with the Filipino people in defending sovereignty, protecting territorial integrity, and upholding the freedom of navigation on which we all rely for vibrant global commerce,” he added, noting the 75th year of the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty.
Lipton said the US is “proud to call the Philippines an ally, partner, and friend.”
Hegseth, during the ASEAN meeting, proposed a framework to guide defense cooperation between the US and the countries in Southeast Asia.