The Philippines and Russia are set to sign several agreements covering practical areas of cooperation during President Duterte’s five-day official visit to Sochi and Moscow next week.
In a pre-departure press briefing in Malacañang yesterday, Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Amelita Aquino said Duterte will witness the signing of the agreements following a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“President Duterte and President Putin will also witness the exchange of several bilateral agreements covering practical areas of cooperation such as culture, health, basic research, et cetera,” she said.
Aquino refused to divulge more information about the agreements to be signed since they are still being vetted and negotiated. She also refused to confirm if a labor agreement was on the table.
“I have mentioned health, culture, basic research, but the other agreements I am not at liberty at this point because there are still discussions going on,” she said. “It has always been our aim to have an agreement that will provide the legal framework for our Filipinos in Russia. So whether – like I said, it’s still under negotiation, but we do want to have an agreement that will give a legal framework for their stay in Russia,” she added.
Aquino also added that it did not matter how many agreements would be signed during Duterte’s second visit as long as they would be helpful to the country.
“We’re not targeting a number because it’s actually the quality and what we get from the agreements. You can have one or two agreements but it’s something that will really be useful for us. You can have 10 agreements that might not mean anything,” Aquino argued. “So we’re not really targeting but we’re looking at the agreement that we need and that we can get cooperation from Russia,” she added.
Duterte’s visit to Russia will be his second since he became President. He first came to Russia in May 2017 but his trip was cut short because of the war in Marawi City. (Argyll Geducos)