PH Joins 32^nd ASEAN-U.S. Dialogue

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Enrique A. Manalo (second from left) with other senior officials and ASEAN Deputy Secretary General Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan at the 32^nd ASEAN-US Dialogue held in Washington, D.C. on 27-28 March 2019. Lao PDR Deputy Foreign Minister Thongphane Savanphet (seventh from left) and United States Department of State Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs W. Patrick Murphy (sixth from left) co-chaired the meeting. (DFA ASEAN photo)

WASHINGTON D.C. 04 April 2019 — Senior officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Member-States and the United States, and ASEAN Deputy General for Political Security Community Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan met in Washington, D.C. for the 32^nd ASEAN-U.S. Dialogue on 27-28 March 2019.

Laos, the current country coordinator for ASEAN-U.S. Dialogue relations, co-chaired the meeting with the U.S.

The meeting noted the continuing upward trajectory of ASEAN-U.S. Dialogue relations since its elevation to a strategic level in 2015, and the commemoration of the 40^th anniversary of the partnership in 2017. Remarkable progress was achieved with all action lines addressed by the third year of the five-year Plan of Action to Implement the ASEAN-U.S. Strategic Partnership 2016-2020.

Discussions covered a wide range of issues that included regional and global developments as well as cooperation on political-security, economic and socio-cultural pillars of the strategic partnership, specifically terrorism, trafficking in persons, cybersecurity, smart cities, trade and investment, energy and infrastructure, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, education, women and youth issues, good governance and transparency.

The discussions continued during the networking reception held after the meeting at the garden of the historic Meridian House. The networking reception was attended by the delegates, members of the diplomatic corps, representatives from the legislative branch, and other guests from the government and the private sector. END

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Enrique A. Manalo joins a huddle with other members of the diplomatic corps, including Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel G. Romualdez. (DFA ASEAN photo)

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Enrique A. Manalo gets pointers from the hosts in the traditional American game of “Corn Hole”, a people-to-people cultural awareness activity during the reception. (DFA ASEAN photo)