27 January 2011 - In a show of team spirit, the Philippines and the United States opened the two-day 1st Philippine-U.S. Strategic Dialogue at the Sofitel Hotel in Manila today.
Photo shows (from right) co-chairs Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Erlinda F. Basilio for the Philippine side and Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs Derek Mitchell from the U.S. side linking hands.
Issues being discussed include: the evolving regional architecture in Asia-Pacific and regional challenges; nuclear non-proliferation; humanitarian assistance/disaster response and climate change; trafficking against persons, promotion of human rights and the rule of law; trade and economic cooperation, specifically investments in Public-Private Partnership (PPP), the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, and the $434 million Millennium Challenge Corporation compact; combating terrorism; peace and development in Mindanao; global peacekeeping and multilateral cooperation.With a changing regional and global environment, the Philippines and the U.S. are looking forward to a partnership that is broad-based, modern, mature and resilient. (photo by Benjamin Remo, DFA-PISU) END