President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is flying to Cambodia on Wednesday, Nov.9, to attend the 40th and 41st Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) Summits, where he is expected to express concern on food and energy security, climate change, post-pandemic recovery and the South China Sea as well as his take on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the developments in Myanmar.

Marcos’ participation in this year’s ASEAN Summits will be his first time since assuming the presidency. Meanwhile, it will be his fourth international engagement after his state visits to Indonesia and Singapore and his trip to the United States for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The President will leave Manila for Phnom Penh by 7 p.m. aboard PR001 and will return to the country on Sunday, Nov. 13.

At the ASEAN, Marcos will lay out his foreign policy priorities, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary for ASEAN Affairs Daniel Espiritu said in a recent pre-departure briefing.

There, he will also reiterate the country’s call for the implementation of the five-point consensus, which was agreed by ASEAN member states to stop violence in junta-ruled Myanmar, and to call for a dialogue among concerned parties.

“We are, of course, calling for the cessation of hostilities and the return of the concerned parties to the negotiating table,” he said.

At the sidelines of the summits, Marcos will meet with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

With the South Korean leader, Marcos will take the opportunity to discuss bilateral relations, considering that it is a key partner of the Philippines in tourism, economy and defense and security.

Among the things that the two leaders might discuss are the conclusion of the free trade agreement between the Philippines and South Korea—the second country the Philippines will have such a setup if ever.

“It’s very important that they discuss current and pending issues between our two countries and the opportunities that we can pursue together,” Espiritu said.

Even in his first year in the presidency, the President is “very much informed” about the developments in the regional bloc, Espiritu said.

Espiritu, the country’s diplomat handling ASEAN concerns, said he was surprised by how Marcos, in his first year of presidency, “is very much informed” about the regional bloc.

“Our briefings have been going on even before the ASEAN Summit. He’s been getting copies of briefing papers from us,” he said.

“And there are also issues on the day to day operations of ASEAN that are brought to his attention through our communications and memory memoranda to him. So he’s very well versed on the major issues of ASEAN,” he added.

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Joseph Pedrajas

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