Manalo, Galvez to lead PH delegation in dialogue with US

Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and Defense officer-in-charge Senior Undersecretary Carlito Galvez will lead the Philippine delegation to the third iteration of the 2+2 policy level dialogue, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday.

The dialogue, to be held on April 11, aims to reaffirm the commitment of the Philippines and the United States towards advancing their common priorities as treaty allies.

Established in 2012, the 2+2 dialogue succeeds the annual Bilateral Strategic Dialogue (BSD), aiming to discuss global prosperity issues and their alignment with the Philippines' economic interests such as energy security, strategic trade and investment cooperation, critical and emerging technologies, infrastructure, and supply chains.

The delegation will also progress cooperation in key areas such as promoting regional security, achieving mutual economic prosperity, modernizing the alliance, and countering terrorism and other transnational crimes.

The US side will be led by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin III.

This third iteration of the 2+2 dialogue is significant because of its seven-year hiatus since the second Ministerial Dialogue held in 2016.

Besides the 2+2 dialogue, Manalo will also be a keynote speaker at the CSIS ASEAN Leadership Forum, where he will share his insights about a new era in the alliance in the context of the Philippines' pursuit of its sovereignty and territorial integrity and efforts to advance a more peaceful and prosperous region.

This policy-level dialogue, according to Manalo in an exclusive interview with GMA Integrated news last week, will mark a significant milestone in the steadfast alliance between the Philippines and the US. The delegations from both countries will aim to strengthen their working relationship towards achieving their shared agenda. —JP Soriano/KBK, GMA Integrated News