Although President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will serve as the coordinator between the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) and European Union (EU) in the summit in Belgium, he vowed to carry the Philippine interests in all his engagements there.

 “Although I am representing the Philippines, I am now also representing all of ASEAN but nonetheless as I have mentioned, Philippine interest will always enter into all my discussions,” Marcos said before leaving the country on Sunday, Dec. 11.

The summit will be the first meeting between ASEAN and EU member states leaders at the EU headquarters wherein the Philippines serves as the country coordinator for ASEAN in its dialogue relations with the EU.

“In addition to pursuing ASEAN interest as country coordinator for the EU, I will always as certainly push for Philippine priorities within the context of the ASEAN-EU cooperation, particularly in post-pandemic economic recovery and trade, maritime cooperation, and, of course, climate action,” he said.

According to the President, the standalone summit is celebrating 45 years of ASEAN-EU relations with in-depth discussions on the most relevant issues concerning both regional organizations such as global and regional security challenges, sustainable development, and economic cooperation amongst other things.

During his stay in Brussels, Marcos will also call upon King Philippe of Belgium, hold bilateral meetings with European counterparts, and meet the Filipino community there.

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Betheena Unite

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