BANGKOK – President Duterte is expected to push for closer regional cooperation on sustainable development and connectivity when he attends the 34th Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Thailand on June 22 and 23.
The President is scheduled to depart Davao City for Bangkok this afternoon. This is Duterte’s third visit to Thailand since he assumed office in 2016.
Duterte will join other Southeast Asian leaders for summit talks with the theme “Advancing Partnership for Sustainability.”
“Our membership in ASEAN is very important to us because it is only in ASEAN that we partner with our closest neighbors in order to have sustainable growth and also to have peace and security in the region,” Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Junever Mahilum-West said.
“Aside from sustainable growth, we also work with our partners in ASEAN in order to achieve – not to forget regional integration, community building within ASEAN and this is for the benefit of Filipinos and other ASEAN peoples,” she added.
Based on his tentative schedule, the President is set to meet chief executive officers of several Thai business companies tomorrow afternoon before attending the regional summit activities.
Duterte and other Southeast Asian leaders are also scheduled to hold separate assemblies with the representatives of ASEAN Inter-parliamentary Assembly, representatives of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council, and representatives of ASEAN Youth.
Afterwards, Duterte will join the plenary session of the regional summit at the Athenee Hotel Grand Hall, followed by the gala dinner hosted by Thailand for the visiting regional leaders.
On Sunday, the ASEAN leaders’ summit will formally open with leaders expected to tackle regional economic integration, and peace and stability concerns, among others. Duterte and other ASEAN leaders will convene anew for the summit retreat followed by lunch. (Genalyn Kabiling)
