US Defense Secretary James Mattis said on Wednesday while in the Philippines that he had held a good meeting with Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Manila and that the two had discussed the US-Indian relationship and how to support Afghanistan.

Asked about how the meeting went, Mattis said at a press conference: "Our collaboration. Our partnership. And working together against terrorism. Supporting Afghanistan in its efforts to return peace to the area but mostly about the Indo-Pacific region, how we maintain our partnership, working together. It was a very very positive meeting."

On his meeting earlier with the Malaysian defense minister, Mattis said:"Very good meeting. It's a very very close relationship with Malaysia and how do we work on all the issues, certainly southern Mindanao and what's happened. How do we help the Philippines recover from this attack by the terrorists, that sort of thing. And broadly about issues of mutual concern."

Mattis said North Korea had also been an important topic at his meeting with Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.

Mattis is in Manila for an ASEAN Defense Ministers meeting.