President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and US Vice President Kamala Harris held a meeting at the US Naval Observatory in Washington, DC, where they pledged to strengthen the partnership between Manila and Washington.&nbsp;
They discussed various areas of cooperation such as clean energy economy and digital inclusion.&nbsp;
Marcos expressed his gratitude to Harris for paving the way for his meeting with President Joe Biden, and emphasized the importance of the relationship between the two countries amidst rising tensions in the region and the world.&nbsp;
"I think that has given us the very attractive opportunity to continue to strengthen that relationship between our two countries in the face, in the context of all of the difficulties and complexities, the rising tensions in our region and the world. And once again, we turn to our American partners, our only treaty partner in the world," he said.
"After all the different cycles as in any friendship&hellip; I was telling (US) Secretary (of State Antony) Blinken yesterday, like any friendship we go through many cycles&hellip; We&rsquo;re very, very happy to be here, to get this opportunity to speak with you and to have spoken with your President," he added.
Harris praised Marcos for prioritizing 'mutual prosperity and security', and discussed the shared interests of the two countries in areas such as food security and clean energy.&nbsp;
"During my visit to the Philippines, we discussed many issues including the importance of clean energy economy. You and I share a passion for that&hellip; As well as issues that relate to food security and what we must do around digital inclusion," said Harris.
They also talked about the collaboration between the Coast Guards of the US and the Philippines in the South China Sea.&nbsp;
Harris mentioned her visit to Palawan in November 2022, where she met with fishermen and Coast Guard officials, and highlighted the close partnership between the two countries in that region.&nbsp;
First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, Speaker Martin Romualdez, Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez, Mrs. Maria Lourdes Romualdez, and Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos were also present at the meeting.

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Marcos meets US-VP Harris; pledge to strengthen partnership on digital inclusion, security