MANILA -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said he is looking forward to his bilateral meetings with fellow leaders on the sidelines of the 40th and 41st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summits and Related Summits.

“I’m looking forward to the bilaterals because… again, iba ‘yung usapan eh kapag face-to-face,” the President said in his interview with reporters onboard flight PR 001.

The President’s plane touched down at the Phnom Penh International Airport around 7:43 p.m. (Philippine time).

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier announced that the chief executive is expected to meet with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on the sidelines of the summit.

During the interview, the President said he is likewise expected to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron.

“I’ve never met with him (Trudeau), so I suppose it’s just going to be an introductory one,” Marcos said.

On the other hand, Marcos said he has spoken to President Macron twice already.

“So, we can move forward on the details of the things that he’s thinking about,” he said.

“Remember also we’ve been talking about nuclear power. Ang France is 67 percent nuclear power ang kanilang supply. So they’re very well-practiced when it comes to that,” Marcos added.

The President noted that France is trying to put together a coalition on climate change under the auspices of the United Nations. (PND)