Secretary Rubio’s Meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya and Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Lazaro

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Tammy Bruce:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met today with Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi and Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Maria Theresa Lazaro during the ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers' Meetings. The Secretaries and Foreign Minister reaffirmed their shared interest in trilateral cooperation to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific and agreed to coordinate cooperation on maritime security, including through Maritime Cooperative Activities, trilateral military exercises, and capacity building and assistance for the Philippine Coast Guard and other Philippine maritime authorities.

The Secretaries and Foreign Minister concurred on the need to grow our economic partnership in tandem with trilateral security ties, including by unlocking private sector investment in high impact infrastructure projects in the Luzon Economic Corridor. Secretary Rubio further highlighted the Philippines' wealth in critical minerals and stressed the need to diversify critical mineral supply chains. The officials proposed advancing trilateral cooperation in the Philippines on cyber security, energy (including civil nuclear energy), and investments in reliable and secure telecommunications networks. The officials concluded with an agreement to hold sectoral trilateral discussions at the senior officials' level in coming months to advance our shared desire for peace and security in the region.

Tags