PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will lead the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the 35th Asean-Russia Commemorative Summit set for June 17 and 18 in the city of Kazan.
“President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in his capacity as Asean Chair, will co-chair the summit together with President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation. The meeting will bring together the leaders of Asean and Russia to commemorate 35 years of dialogue relations and to chart the future direction of this partnership,” Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary Domic Xavier Imperial said in a pre-departure press briefing in Malacañang.
The summit also marks Marcos’ first visit to the Russian Federation as a sitting Philippine leader. It also coincides with the commemoration of 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries this year.
Leaders of the regional bloc and Putin are expected to review the progress of Asean-Russia strategic partnership and discuss ways to further strengthen cooperation in areas of mutual trust particularly on bio-safety and biosecurity, outer space and satellite applications, energy and food security, science and technology, trade and investment, tourism, education and people-to-people exchanges.
The president is also expected to have a meeting with Putin that will “most likely focus on food security and energy security. They will also discuss, among others, some very important regional and international issues that both would consider important for the relationship,” Imperial said.
“We’re also looking at people-to-people exchanges, tourism, education, cultural cooperation, especially also on science and technology. So, these areas will be discussed or will play a part in the bilateral meeting between the two leaders,” he added.
“The summit is likewise expected to adopt several key outcome documents. These will guide Asean-Russia cooperation in the years ahead. This includes the Kazan Declaration 2026 which will articulate the shared vision of Asean and Russia as we commemorate 35 years of partnership as well as joint statements on energy and on cultural cooperation,” the DFA official said.
“The leaders are also expected to adopt the Asean-Russia Comprehensive Plan of Action 2026-2030 which will serve as the principal roadmap for advancing cooperation across the political security, economic and sociocultural pillars of the partnership,” he added.
