Soldiers of the Philippines and the US in a joint exercise (Source: AFP/VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – The Philippines and the US have agreed to conduct 261 jointmilitary activities next year, as the Philippines is pursuing warmer relationswith its ally, a high-ranking Philippine officer announced on October 5.
General Eduardo Ano, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, toldreporters after his meeting with Chief of the US Pacific Command Admiral HarryHarris in Hawaii last week that Manila and Washington have recognised theimportance of the joint military activities in confronting security threatsfacing the region, including terrorism.
He affirmed that two sides have agreed to conduct 261 joint military activitiescompared to 258 activities this year, adding that the joint exercises in 2018will focus on counterterrorism, territorial defence and disaster response.
[Philippine, US troops launch joint anti-terrorism exercise]
The announcement was made after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte last week calledfor warmer ties with the US.
President Duterte also highly appreciated the US government for helping Manilain the fight against pro-Islamic State (IS) militants in the southern city ofMarawi.
TheUS deployed a P-3 Orion spy plane and provided other intelligence inputs forthe Philippine forces trying to retake the city in the clash, which has leftmore than 900 people dead since May.-VNA
