Philippines, US hold 2-on-2 meeting in Washington

MANILA, Philippines—The two-on-two meeting between the Philippines and the United States on April 30 in Washington, D.C., will be the first of its kind between the two countries, the Department of National Defense said Friday.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario flew to the United States Friday for the meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Monday.

“It is intended to be a consultation for defense, security, political, and economic policies between the two countries,” a  statement from the DND said.

“The meeting will be the first of its kind in the history of Philippines-US bilateral relations. The US has this kind of consultations only with Japan and South Korea,” the DND added.

The department said Clinton proposed the ministerial consultation when she visited Manila last year for the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Mutual Defense Treaty between the Philippines and the United States.

Other officials from the principals’ departments will also attend the meeting.

The meeting is expected to focus on economic and political cooperation as well as defense and security cooperation, regional issues, and the contributions of each country to peace and stability of the region.

Preparations for the visit of President Benigno Aquino to the United States in the middle of the year are also likely to be discussed, the DND said.