Filipino president, Rodrigo Duterte, fooled Washington for telling his country what weapons he had to buy, but the Americans calm down by saying that the submarines he buys from Russia can not be used against them.
Duterte was outraged by the statement of the US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Affairs, Randall Schriver, who said that the Philippines "Must think very carefully" about acquiring Russian subtitles and other weapons because this would jeopardize the alliance between Washington and Manila.
"Why? Did you stop other countries? Why do you stop us? … You warn us, who are you to warn us? & # 39; said the Philippine leader during a speech in Davao City on Friday, as cited by the website Inquirer.net.
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He challenged Schriver to repeat the same warning in his face and said: "You meet me on a forum and you state why you are against my country [a] submarine. You give me the reason why and make it public. "
"Is that how you want to treat an ally? And do you want us to stay with you all the time? & # 39; Duterte asked, adding that he would like to ask the same questions to US President Donald Trump "When I see him."
He blamed the US for trying to keep the Philippines "Backward" in terms of defense capabilities. "Vietnam has seven [submarines]; Malaysia has two; Indonesia has about eight. We are the only ones without it [submarines I the region], " the president argued.
The president, however, calm Washington by saying that "We do not use it [submarines] to you. We can not use it against China or anyone else, because we are underarmed. & # 39;
Duterte also criticized the Americans for the sale of refurbished helicopters to Manila, some of which, he said, have already crashed, while such countries as Russia and China simply donated equipment to the Philippines and "Never asked, even for a paper clip."
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Moscow and Manila signed a military cooperation agreement last year, with Russia already providing more than 5000 Kalashnikov rifles free of charge to the Philippines to help fight an Islamic uprising.
The government of Duterte is also considering the purchase of submarines, patrol boats, helicopters and armored vehicles from Russia.
In early August, the Philippine Foreign Minister, Alan Peter Cayetano, promised that the pressure of the US will not see the country surrender to Russian arms purchases, calling it "A test for our decision to conduct an independent foreign policy".
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Washington recently tried to persuade India and Turkey to abandon the purchase of Russian S-400 air defense missile systems, but was told that it was not his business by both New Delhi and Ankara.
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