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Philippines, U.S. to hold two-plus-two talks in Washington next week

Xinhua, January 7, 2016 Adjust font size:

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario are due to meet with their U.S. counterparts next week.

"We will talk about our bilateral relations, to enhance our bilateral relations,"Gazmin told reporters during an interview in Camp Aguinaldo on Thursday.

Gazmin said the"2 + 2"meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will take place on Tuesday in Washington.

Gazmin said the passage of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement(EDCA), which allows U.S. military to preposition forces and assets in the Philippines, is a common concern for the two governments but did not say if the agreement will be discussed in the meeting.

The two governments signed EDCA in April 2014. The implementation was however put on hold pending a Supreme Court decision on the petitions lodged by various groups on the constitutionality of the agreement.

"Our area of common concern right now is the passage of EDCA. They (Americans) are also waiting for it (decision)," the defense chief said. Endit