President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has championed for a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific as he delivered his opening statement during the trilateral meeting between leaders of the Philippines, Japan, and the United States in Washington, D.C. today.
Talking before a global audience with US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, President Marcos rallied his co-world leaders to foster cooperation to achieve harmony and progress not only in the Indo-Pacific but the rest of the world.
“We meet today as friends and partners, bound by a shared vision and pursuit of a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” President Marcos said as he thanked President Biden for hosting the very important international event at the White House.
President Marcos cited the relevance of the historic summit as it promotes collaborative partnership between his country, Japan and the United States.
“It is a partnership, borne not out of convenience nor of expediency, but as a natural progression of a deepening relations and robust cooperation amongst our three nations, linked by a profound respect for democracy, good governance, and the rule of law,” he said.
The Philippine leader also cited the cooperation already being undertaken by the three countries in the Indo-Pacific region even before the start of the historic trilateral meeting.
“Today’s historic summit is a culmination of several preparatory engagements between our Foreign Ministers, our National Security Advisers, and our Vice Ministers, as well as the conduct of trilateral maritime exercises and joint development cooperation,” he added.
While the three countries succeeded in initiating the trilateral meeting, President Marcos called on Japan and the United States to expect more challenges ahead.
“But this meeting can be just a beginning. Facing the complex challenges of our time requires concerted efforts on everyone’s part, a dedication to a common purpose, and an unwavering commitment to the rules-based international order,” he said.
“This is a meeting that looks ahead. As we deepen our ties and enhance our coordination, we seek to identify ways of growing our economies and making them more resilient, climate-proofing our cities and our societies, sustaining our development progress, and forging a peaceful world for the next generation,” he added.
