NAIA Terminal II, Pasay City
November 9, 2022

Embarking on his first participation to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. delivered his departure statement before heading to Phnom Penh in the Kingdom of Cambodia for the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits from November 10-13, 2022.

“My participation will promote and protect Philippine interests in ASEAN. We will emphasize regional cooperation on maritime security, climate change, food security, health cooperation and economic recovery amongst others. We will also address regional issues such as the pandemic and the situation in Myanmar, developments in the South China Sea, and the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, among other important matters,” the President remarked.

Apart from the ASEAN Summits, the Chief Executive and his fellow ASEAN Leaders will meet with the regional bloc’s Dialogue Partners consisting of Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea and the United States of America to review existing and new areas of cooperation, as well as exchange views on regional and international issues.

At the same time, the President will hold bilateral meetings with some of his counterparts in ASEAN and its Dialogue Partners. “I will seek further cooperation in key priorities of my Administration as well as to explore how we can come together to address the most pressing issues in our region,” he added.

The Chief Executive looks forward to meeting the Filipino community in Cambodia to cap off his visit and will relay his Administration’s programs and policies to protect and promote their rights and welfare.

The 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits carry the theme “ASEAN A.C.T.: Addressing Challenges Together”. As a cornerstone of the Philippines’ foreign policy, President Marcos Jr. will convey the nation’s support for ASEAN Centrality, for Cambodia as the current Chair of ASEAN and for Indonesia as the incoming Chair of the regional bloc next year.

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