UNITED States President Barack Obama commended yesterday President Benigno S. Aquino III for his leadership and “reforms” in government at the start of their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 19th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Summits in Bali, Indonesia.

In his opening statement at the grand ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Bali, Obama cited the long-standing relationship between the two countries and the alliance showing “their looking out for each other.”

“I just want to commend President Aquino for his leadership and his reform efforts. I think our relationship that is already very strong can only become stronger,” Obama said.

“More importantly, we have incredible person-to-person relationship between our two counties,” he added.

The U.S. President said that, apart from further deepening the relationship between the two countries, the meeting also serves as an opportunity to discuss matters in the summits’ agenda that include maritime security and non-proliferation, among others.

President Aquino, for his part, thanked President Obama for the opportunity to tackle and share their thoughts on a wide range of topics as he expressed hopes of strengthening relations amid serious global concerns.

“Thank you, Mr. President, for granting this opportunity to share our viewpoints and talk on a wide range of issues. It’s true we’ve had one of the longest relationships based on shared values and history and in these turbulent times we look forward to strengthening it,” President Aquino said.