March 10, 2023
MANILA – The long-anticipated 2+2 ministerial dialogue between the United States and the Philippines will be held next month.
This was set by Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo and US Undersecretary for State Political Affairs Victoria Nuland during their meeting on March 6, the first day of Nuland’s four-day visit to the Philippines.
The officials discussed the importance of the two nations’ alliance in promoting “peace, stability and resilience in the region.”
“Both sides agreed to expand the scope of the 2+2 to include broader security considerations, such as food security, energy, cybersecurity, telecommunications and supply chains,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement on Wednesday, March 8.
The dialogue will be hosted by the United States in Washington with the heads of the DFA and the Department of National Defense to discuss matters of security in both countries, like the South China Sea dispute.
According to the DFA, the discussions seek to identify “concrete measures that the two countries can pursue jointly, and together with other like-minded partners.” Nuland is the second US official to visit the country this year. —Jacob Lazaro