Philippines ready to host Asean-US meeting next week

Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert del Rosario. AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines is all set to host a meeting between senior officials of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations  and the United States on May 20-22, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said Tuesday.

Del Rosario told the Inquirer in a text message Tuesday the dialogue “is a regular meeting aimed at enhancing the relations of both sides and charting the course of Asean-US partnership.”

He did not say if the Philippines would raise anew its territorial disputes with China during the meeting. But a fact sheet released by the Department of Foreign Affairs indicated the issue might be taken up during the meeting. It said dialogue participants would “exchange views on regional and international developments.”

Assistant Foreign Secretary Erlinda Basilio and Kurt Campbell, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, will co-chair the meeting.

The fact sheet noted that the Philippines has been the coordinator for Asean-US dialogue from 2009 to 2012  and that the US was  “one of the long-standing dialogue partners of Asean, having established relations with the multilateral body in 1977.”

It said the meeting will “review the progress in Asean-US cooperation and exchange views on regional and international developments, including the preparations of the 4th Asean-US leaders’ meeting in November.”

It is also expected to “review Asean-US relations and recommend future actions, including opportunities to enhance cooperation on regional and global issues; strengthen cooperation and coordination in specific sectors, such as trade and investment, disaster response and energy security; and identify new steps for the effective implementation of the decisions of previous Asean-US leaders’ meetings and the Plan of Action to implement the Joint Declaration on enhanced Asean-US partnership,” the fact sheet said.