US' Austin, Philippine Defense Minister Agree To Boost Bilateral Defense Ties

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd February, 2023) US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Philippine counterpart, Carlito Galvez Jr., agreed on Thursday to further develop defense cooperation between the two countries and support the Philippines' current defense needs.

"Secretary Austin and I have also agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation to support the Philippines' defense capability needs as well as the Philippines-US alliance," Galvez told a press conference following his meeting with Austin in Manila.

The Philippine defense chief added that the meeting would strengthen collaborative efforts of the two countries in addressing pressing security threats and challenges in the Asia-Pacific region.

Austin, in turn, said he was optimistic about the future of the bilateral alliance between Manila and Washington.

"I am confident that we will continue to work together to defend our shared values of freedom, democracy and human dignity," the US defense chief said.

During Austin's visit, the two sides also agreed to expand the US' access to four more military bases in the Philippines as part of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), thus, bringing the total number of EDCA sites to nine.