MANILA -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. departed for Indonesia on Monday to attend the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit and Related Summits, vowing to advance the country’s interests with his constructive engagements with ASEAN and its Dialogue Partners.
The President’s summit participation is upon the invitation of the ASEAN Summit Chair Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
“Once again, I will use this opportunity to advance Philippine priorities in ASEAN and work with our other ASEAN Member States not only in addressing the complex challenges facing the region, but also in pursuing opportunities for ASEAN as an ‘epicentrum of growth,’” President Marcos said in his departure statement at Villamor Airbase.
“My participation will highlight our advocacies in promoting a rules-based international order, including in the South China Sea, strengthening food security, calling for climate justice, tapping the potential of the digital and creative economies, protecting migrant workers in crisis situations, as well as combating Trafficking-in-Persons.”
The second ASEAN Summit of this year provides a strategic opportunity for regional bloc to deepen its robust partnerships with Australia, Canada, India, China, Japan, Korea, the United States, and the United Nations, Marcos said, noting they will foster cooperation with these countries in trade and investment, climate action, food security, clean energy, and maritime cooperation.
The President also said he would participate in the ASEAN Plus Three and East Asia Summits to discuss developments in the South China Sea, the situation in Myanmar, and the conflict in Ukraine; as well as on major power rivalries.
“I will also take the opportunity to meet with bilateral partners at the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit to advance cooperation that will benefit our national priorities. As a founding member, ASEAN has always been closely intertwined with Philippine foreign policy,” he said.
“My administration will continue to ensure that our constructive engagements with ASEAN, our Dialogue Partners, and stakeholders serve our national interest and the well-being of the Filipino people.”
The President is expected to attend 13 leader’s level engagements, 12 of which are summit sessions with other leaders, according to the Foreign Affairs Department.
The 43rd Summit and Related Summits has for its theme, “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth.” It will conclude on September 7, with a handover ceremony of the ASEAN Chairmanship from Indonesia to Lao People’s Democratic Republic.
Established on August 8, 1967, in Bangkok, Thailand, ASEAN is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia. It is composed of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Viet Nam, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Cambodia. (PND)
