A “BAFFLED” United States said it would seek an explanation from the Philippines for President Rodrigo Duterte’s announcement that it was separating from the US, saying this was at odds with the two countries’ close relationship.
US State Department spokesman John Kirby said they were “obviously aware of (Duterte’s) rhetoric” and that this was “inexplicably at odds with the very close relationship that we have with the Filipino people, as well as the government there on many different levels, not just from a security perspective.”
Kirby stressed an explanation from the Philippine government was in order.
“We are going to be seeking an explanation of exactly what the president meant when he talked about separation from the U.S. It’s not clear to us exactly what that means in all its ramifications,” the US State Department spokesman said.
The US official also said that the US was “baffled” by Duterte’s announcement during his four-day state visit in China. He said their friends and partners in the region were likewise confused and didn’t exactly know how to take this.
“It isn’t just the United States who is baffled by this rhetoric. We have heard from many of our friends and partners in the region who are, likewise, confused about where this is going, and also, we believe, trying to learn more on their own about what it portends,” Kirby said.
Even with President Duterte’s announcement of separation from the US, Kirby maintained that the US-Philippine relations “remain rock-solid,” especially the US commitment to the Mutual Defense Treaty.
“And then, finally, as I have said before, I will say again today, we remain rock-solid in our commitment in the Mutual Defense Treaty that we have with the Philippines. That hasn’t changed,” he said.
The US State Department spokesman even said that the US is keen on maintaining and deepening its alliance with the Philippines.
“There has been for all the rhetoric we’ve heard, there has been no tangible application of the intent behind — or at least the stated intent behind some of the things that were made — and we’re going to move, we’re continuing to move forward and have every interest in seeing this 70 year alliance continue to grow and to develop and to deepen. That’s our commitment,” Kirby explained. (with a report from Reuters)