Download remarks of his excellency benigno s. aquino iii president

REMARKS OF
HIS EXCELLENCY BENIGNO S. AQUINO III
PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES
AT THE LUNCH HOSTED BY U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY
RODHAM CLINTON
[Delivered in Washington DC on June 8, 2012]
Thank you, Secretary Clinton, for the very warm welcome and your
gracious hospitality.
Secretary Clinton has enjoyed a most distinguished tenure as
Secretary of State; and I would like to extend my warmest
congratulations for the very active and progressive diplomacy that has
characterized the State Department under her leadership. She
understands and appreciates Asia’s role in the future global order, and
this has guided the US’s efforts at “rebalancing.” This in turn has opened
up new opportunities to deepen the engagement between the United
States and our region.
Secretary Clinton has also made it a point to pursue economic
diplomacy; and, unsurprisingly, we have seen the State Department
become an active contributor in the ongoing economic recovery here in
the United States.
Last year, Secretary Clinton paid a visit to Manila, where we
celebrated the 60th Anniversary of the Mutual Defense Treaty. Along
1
with our Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, she signed the
Manila Declaration, reaffirming the historic friendship and the partnership
between our two nations. We also launched the Partnership for Growth
Program, which aims to support our administration’s goal of achieving
broad-based economic growth—or, as we call it, inclusive growth;
growth that leaves no one behind.
The seven months that have gone by since that visit have seen us
undertake a series of purposeful and diverse engagements. After
President Obama and I went through some substantive discussions in
Bali last November, our Senior Officials have been working to move
these agreements forward. They met here in January 2012, and our
Foreign Affairs and Defense Secretaries paid another visit to the United
States in April.
When I was reading the reports submitted to me about what
exactly happened, I was struck by the character of the discussions, as
well as the breadth of the subjects that we are working on together. We
are clearly at a new juncture in our relations: while we both remain
grounded in our shared history, and in the democratic principles and
values we both uphold, our success is also about what we can do
together—to build a more stable region, and to achieve an even more
prosperous future for both our peoples.
2
That we are here now signifies our desire to further accelerate the
achievement of these goals. I see a very rewarding future ahead of us
as we work on the different elements that comprise our partnership,
such as our ties in defense and security, in our economies, and among
our peoples.
Indeed, there is much reason to celebrate this enduring kinship
and alliance, and to this I propose a toast:
To the Secretary and the corps of dedicated Filipino and American
professionals who have worked persistently for the enhancement of the
relations:
May we be able to sustain the momentum we have generated and
further deepen the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the
Philippines and the United States.
May we continue to stand shoulder to shoulder as partners
committed to each other’s security and prosperity, and invested in
building a stable and peaceful region for future generations of Filipino
and Americans.
And may we, together with all Filipinos and Americans, soon reap
the fruits of our efforts to strengthen the relationship between our two
countries.
3