National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met today with Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr. and Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana of the Philippines in Washington, D.C. to mark the 70th anniversary of the Mutual Defense Treaty and consider opportunities to further strengthen the U.S.-Philippines Alliance. Mr. Sullivan commended the Philippines for generously hosting Afghan refugees. They also discussed U.S. support for the Philippines’ ongoing response to COVID-19, ongoing cooperation on counterterrorism, and the importance of respect for human rights.
On COVID-19, we are pleased to announce that the United States will provide an additional $11.3 million in additional COVID-19 assistance to the Philippines, bringing total U.S. COVID-19 assistance to the Philippines since the start of the pandemic to $37 million, in addition to the 6 million U.S. vaccine doses donated and delivered to the Philippines through COVAX.
As the Philippines is the United States’ oldest treaty ally in the region, Mr. Sullivan discussed the Biden-Harris Administration’s vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific and our efforts to revitalize our alliances. Mr. Sullivan underscored our enduring commitment to Southeast Asia and reiterated our support for ASEAN centrality. They also discussed regional issues such as freedom of the seas and the coup in Burma.
