Pelosi Remarks Before Meeting With President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines

Pelosi Remarks Before Meeting With President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Contact: Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami/Drew Hammill, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. - Speaker Nancy Pelosi held a brief press availability this afternoon with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines before their meeting in the Capitol. Below are their remarks:

Speaker Pelosi. Good afternoon. It's a great privilege for me to welcome the President of the Philippines to the Capitol of the United States. President Macapagal Arroyo is a well-respected leader internationally and a successful leader in the Philippines.

Our relationship is one between the United States and the Philippines that is valued by all of us here. So, I'm pleased to welcome the President as well as the Speaker, as well as the Ambassador.

Sixty years ago, Filipino soldiers helped in the war - helped in World War II. We made promises then about honoring the service that they gave to the war effort and the peace effort. That was rescinded in the '40s. And I'm very pleased that in our recovery package in January that we passed legislation recognizing our obligation to them. That is just one part of our important relationship between our two countries.

I look forward to discussion with the President about counterterrorism, about economic growth, which has been very successful in the Philippines, and about climate change. We go to Copenhagen in December and issues like deforestation and protecting the environment - God's beautiful gift to us - will be very important, an issue of dialogue between our two countries.

I feel personally close to the Philippines, Madam President. When I went to college over 50 years ago, my roommate there was from the Philippines. So early on, I got an orientation about the Philippines that is very much a part of who I am now.

Your leadership is, as I said earlier, respected internationally, certainly, in the United States of America. I look forward to our discussions and I'm pleased to welcome you and introduce you to our friends in the press.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Thank you very much. Thank you very much for welcoming me here Speaker. Looking forward to a good discussion with you.

Speaker Pelosi. Thank you all very much.