State Dining Room, Malacañan Palace
March 19, 2024
“It is extremely encouraging for the Philippines that despite all of these extremely important issues that you have to attend to, that you could say the Philippines important enough to take time from all of those globally important issues to come with us here today,” President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. conveyed during a dinner with United States (U.S.) Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the State Dining Room in Malacañan Palace.
Addressing the gathering, Secretary Blinken expressed gratitude for the time and attention dedicated by the President in their earlier meeting. He underscored the importance of relations between the United States and the Philippines, stating that their engagement in the Indo-Pacific region could not be stronger or more determined.
“And even as we have these other challenges that we have to confront around the world, as I mentioned, our focus, our determination when it comes to the Indo-Pacific and our engagement there, and specifically the relationship between our countries, could not be greater, could not be stronger, could not be more determined,” Secretary Blinken said.
He also cited upcoming engagements, including an anticipated visit to Washington, D.C. by President Marcos Jr., and emphasized the significance of trilateral meetings involving like-minded countries, describing them as avenues to deepen cooperation at a time when such collaboration is crucial.
“We have a tremendous need and imperative on as strong as possible partnerships. And we’re grateful for the partnership,” Secretary Blinken expressed.
The Chief Executive then highlighted the necessity of such engagements, emphasizing the importance of maintaining open channels of communication and cooperation.
“It is important that we continue to do that and the opportunities such as this are maybe few and far between but these remain valuable and important to both our countries,” the President concluded, as he offered a toast to the continued strength and progress of Philippine-U.S. relations, underscoring the shared aspirations for prosperity and stability.
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