(Eagle News)–President Bongbong Marcos will attend the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit, the government has announced.
Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for ASEAN Affairs Daniel Espiritu said the summit will be held in Melbourne, Australia from March 4 to 6.
He said there will be two main engagements during the summit proper.
One is the Leaders’ Plenary, where leaders will review ASEAN-Australia cooperation through the years and propose ways to further strengthen relations.
He said the second is the Leaders’ Retreat where the leaders will exchange views on key geopolitical developments and “issues affecting the Philippines and the world.”
“As the first ASEAN leaders level engagement for the year, the summit presents an opportunity for us to present the Philippines’ core position on regional and international issues and set the tone for dialogue partner summits later in the year, especially in October,” he said.
The President will also attend “working level events” organized by Australia such as the maritime cooperation track where DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo is expected to deliver keynote remarks together with Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Espiritu said.
He said representatives from the Department of Energy and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources will also participate in these discussions.
The President is also slated to meet with the Filipino community in Melbourne on the sidelines of the summit and interact with the business community for the “Philippine Business Forum” led by the Department of Trade and Industry, according to Espiritu.
He said there will also be bilateral meetings with Cambodia and New Zealand.
