PHILIPPINES POSITIVE ON U.S.-RUSSIA PRESIDENTIAL

UNCLAS MANILA 001497 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MTS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL RP RS SUBJECT: PHILIPPINES POSITIVE ON U.S.-RUSSIA PRESIDENTIAL SUMMIT REF: STATE 71326 (SBU) Ambassador took advantage of a previously scheduled July 10 meeting with Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo to raise reftel points regarding the July 6-8 meetings in Moscow between President Obama and President Medvedev. The Ambassador noted the summit had ended a period of drift in U.S.-Russian relations, and paved the way for future cooperation on arms reduction, nuclear nonproliferation, Afghanistan, and a number of other areas. The Ambassador reinforced the importance of the recent summit by outlining how the two presidents had signed an agreement that would enable U.S. transit of Russian airspace in resupplying coalition forces in Afghanistan, and how a follow-on agreement had been facilitated for the soon-to-expire START treaty. Romulo responded with enthusiasm, underscoring how, given the necessity for greater engagement of the international community on troubling regional issues such as North Korea and Burma, a more open and cooperative dialogue between two great world powers such as the U.S. and Russia could only bode well for the future. KENNEY