MANILA — Sinusuportahan ng Pilipinas ang ugnayan ng Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) sa United States at India na itinaas tungo sa isang “comprehensive strategic partnership”, ipinahayag ni Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.

“The Philippines advocates and supports the granting of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to the United States for the most realistic and pragmatic of reasons: it remains, and in our view it will stay, the world’s leading force for the rule of law in international relations,” aniya noong Asean Ministers’ Retreat sa Cambodia.

“The first great power in history to be satisfied with international rules that all other countries and even competing powers can live by and work with to their benefit,” dagdag niya.

Ayon kay Locsin, inaabangan din niya ang pagpupulong ng panukalang Asean-US Summit ngayong taon.

Sa kabilang banda, ang pag-endorso ng Pilipinas para sa Asean-India comprehensive strategic partnership ay dumating ilang araw matapos bumisita sa bansa ang Indian Minister for External Affairs Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar upang muling pagtibayin ang malakas na relasyon ng India sa Pilipinas.

“The Philippines extends all-out support to Singapore’s proposal to elevate the status of India to comprehensive and strategic partnership,” wika ni Locsin.

Noong nakaraang Pebrero 14, sinabi ni Locsin na ang Asean at India ay maaaring higit pang pagbutihin ang kooperasyong pandagat.