SUMMIT PARTICIPANT. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. delivers a speech before boarding the Philippine Airlines flight bound for Jakarta, Indonesia at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Monday (Sept. 4, 2023). He will attend the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit and Related Summits slated Sept. 5 to 7. (PNA photo by Alfred Frias)
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia Monday to attend the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Summits.
The presidential plane touched down at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport at 6 p.m. (7 p.m., PH time).
The President is joining the summit, slated Sept. 5 to 7, upon the invitation of ASEAN Summit chair and Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
Marcos said he would use his summit attandance to push Philippine priorities in ASEAN and work with other member states not only in addressing the complex challenges facing the region, but also in pursuing opportunities for ASEAN as an “epicentrum of growth.”
He will also highlight the country’s advocacies in promoting a rules-based international order, including in the South China Sea, strengthening food security, calling for climate justice, tapping the potential of the digital and creative economies, protecting migrant workers in crisis situations, as well as combating trafficking in persons.
ASEAN leaders are also expected to have extensive disccussions to deepen their partnerships with Australia, Canada, India, China, Japan, Korea, the United States and the United Nations, and to foster cooperation in trade and investment, climate action, food security, clean energy and maritime cooperation.
The developments in the South China Sea, the situation in Myanmar, and the conflict in Ukraine, as well as on major power rivalries are also expected to be discussed during the ASEAN Plus Three and East Asia Summits.
“My administration will continue to ensure that our constructive engagements with ASEAN, our Dialogue Partners and stakeholders will serve our national interest and the well-being of the Filipino people,” he said.
The 43rd Summit and Related Summits has the theme “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth.
ASEAN, a political and economic union, is composed of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Viet Nam, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Cambodia. (PND)
