President Barack Obama believes relations between the Philippines and the United States will be rekindled under the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump because of the two leaders’ seemingly similar temperament.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay reported this after having an encounter with the outgoing American president who attended his last APEC Leaders’ Meeting here.
Yasay represented President Rodrigo Duterte in two APEC activities – the leaders’ gala dinner and picture-taking for the traditional APEC family photo. Duterte explained in a separate press conference that he had a bad jet lag and this made him skip the two events.
It was in these two events that Yasay had the chance to meet and talk with Obama.
“He told me he is expecting a better and stronger relationship between the Philippines and the United States under the new administration of President-elect Trump because they seem to have the same kind of temperament. And I replied with ‘I hope so’,” Yasay said.
The firebrand Duterte has been critical of the policies of the US and the west during the political campaign period and even after he assumed office.
Yasay, however, said he had no time to mention to Obama that the difficulty in the two countries’ relations at the moment is more fundamental in nature rather than the personalities involved.
The US government has been critical of how the Duterte administration has handled its core program of eliminating illegal drugs where more than 3,000 people have been killed already.
“We wanted to convey the message to America that our relationship can be stronger if there will be re-evaluation and re-adjustments of our relationship where this time, dependency will not be allowed. That is more fundamental,” he said.
While Obama had no message for the no-show Duterte in the two activities at the Leaders’ Week, Yasay said, “Obama was really saying something that was to my mind forward looking.”
Perhaps, Yasay said, Obama may have observed that relations of the two allied countries have been a little bit strained at present but the animosities are limited at the leaders’ level only.
“With Trump, perhaps he saw a more optimistic prospect,” Yasay said.
Yasay also seemed to follow Obama’s train of thought. “I think we have all the fundamentals that would ensure that our relationship will even be stronger.”
“With Trump and even into future, our relationships would grow stronger for as long as we are able to manage these fundamentals properly. It will be towards a direction both countries will treat each other as sovereign equals and (with) mutual respect. That is the most (important) basis to carry out a mutually beneficial relationship,” he added.
Future of PH-Russia relations
Philippine Ambassador to Russia, Carlos D. Sorreta briefed Russian media practitioners – Nathan Hodge, Moscow Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and Thomas Grove, reporter for WSJ – on the future direction of Philippine-Russia relations.
Sorreta delved on the decision of the Philippine Government to intensify relations with Russia, including possibly in the area of military technical cooperation.
He noted that the President has declared his intention to pursue an independent foreign policy.
“In an interdependent and interconnected world, this could mean less dependence on a single nation and more engagement with the rest of the world,” said the Ambassador.
“One of the important players in this world is Russia and there are many opportunities for mutually beneficial relations between us,” he added.
However, Sorreta said that “this does not mean cutting off bilateral ties with other countries, as the President himself has clarified.”
On Philippines-Russia military-technical cooperation, Ambassador Sorreta mentioned that in terms of defense products, Russia has almost everything other traditional partners can offer without political conditionalities and other strings attached.
Moreover, it provides technology transfer and is flexible on the issue of financing.
While no decision has been made yet on the purchase of Russian weapons, the two sides are laying the foundation for robust military-technical cooperation through the exchange of visits and crafting of legal frameworks. (PNA)
The post Obama Sees Rekindling of US-PH Ties Under Trump appeared first o Manila Bulletin.
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