MANILA:  Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State,  told the new Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr that relations between the two countries were "extraordinary" during a visit to Manila on August 6.

Blinken reportedly reaffirmed Washington's commitment to the two nations' cooperative defence agreement and expressed appreciation for and excitement about working with Marcos Jr.'s government to "deepen" the partnership with the Philippines.

In his capacity as Secretary of State, Blinken is visiting this country for the first time.

Our relationship is quite extraordinary that it is genuinely based on friendship, he said. It has been strengthened by the fact that it is also an alliance and has been established in cooperation. "The alliance is solid, and I think that will make us all stronger as a result. The Mutual Defense Treaty is something we're devoted to. We are determined to collaborate with you on common challenges, "he added.

Recent regional and international concerns, according to Marcos Jr., such as US Representative Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan and the conflict in the Ukraine, have underscored the significance of the alliance between Manila and Washington.  In spite of all the changes we have witnessed and the changes in our bilateral relations with the US, he expressed his hope that the two countries' relationship will continue to develop.

The 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, which obligates the US and the Philippines to support one another in the event of foreign aggression, was described by Marcos Jr. as "under ongoing modification."

"We can no longer isolate one part of our relationship from the other," Blinken added. "We are too close."

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