MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte will be involved in all the activities of the 36th Asean Summit on June 26 that will be conducted through a video conference, said Chief of Presidential Protocol and Presidential Assistant on Foreign Affairs Robert Borje.
“This is the first Asean summit to be convened via video conference in view of the constraints posed by Covid-19, (coronavirus disease 2019)” Borje said in a Palace briefing Thursday.
He added the discussions of Asean leaders on Friday will be built on an agreement adopted during the Special Asean Summit last April, thinking on ways how the region will facilitate the transition to the new normal and the post-pandemic recovery.
Borje said 10 outcome documents are expected to materialize during the summit.
He added issues on the South China Sea and maritime security will be discussed as part of the general discussion point in the summit, falling under the talks on international and regional developments.
“The President has been very consistent in his participation at Asean summits. All the important positions, the national interests of the Philippines in Asean, are being advanced by the President, including the issue on the South China Sea and migrant workers affairs,” Borje said.
The 10 Asean leaders will also discuss enhancing their cooperation, along with its dialogue partners to maintain peace, security, and order not only in the region but globally.
Economic recovery is also on the agenda of the leaders as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is eyed to be concluded by end-2020.
Asean initiated RCEP in 2012, pursuing a trade deal with its free trade agreement partners Australia, New Zealand, China, South Korea, Japan, and India.
However, India has backed out from the deal at the last Asean Summit in November 2019.
Vietnam is this year’s host of Asean Summit and Related Meetings.
Asean member states include Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Earlier, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte will be attending at least six online Asean-related activities.
These activities include the 36th Asean Summit; Asean Leaders Special Session on Women’s Empowerment; Asean Leaders Interface with the Representatives of Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly; Asean Leaders Interface with Representatives of Asean Youth; Asean Leaders Interface with Representatives of Asean Business Advisory Council; and a press conference of Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, chairman of the 36th Asean Summit.
The summit is expected to adopt more than 10 outcome documents on key areas of cooperation, such as food security and supply chain connectivity in the context of pandemic response, countering radicalization and violent extremism, and human resource development, among others, he added. (With reports from Azer Parrocha/PNA)
