President Rodrigo Roa Duterte returns to the Russian Federation this month of October upon the invitation of President Vladimir Putin. He is set to visit Sochi and the capital city of Moscow from October 1-6, 2019.
The President’s first stop is in Sochi where he shall hold a bilateral meeting with his ‘favorite hero’ Vladimir Putin, according to Presidential Spokesperson and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo. The two leaders first met in Moscow in May 2017 where President Duterte cut short his first official visit to Russia due to the Marawi siege.
The Chief Executive shall also witness the signing of agreements between the Philippines and Russia during his stay in Sochi and is set to participate in the Plenary Session of the Valdai Discussion Club’s 16th Annual Meeting with the topic, ‘The Dawn of the East and the World Political Order.’ Apart from President Duterte, the other attendees in the Plenary Session include Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of Azerbaijan, Jordan and Kazakhstan.
From Sochi, President Duterte proceeds to Moscow for a series of meetings and engagements. Among the highlights of his visit to the nation’s capital is a bilateral meeting with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and a visit to the Moscow Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) University, where he shall be conferred with an Honorary Doctorate Degree.
The President shall also engage in a forum with the Russian business sector and is set to meet with the members of the Filipino community in Moscow.
Bilateral relations between the Philippines and Russia was first established in 1976. Since 2016, the link between the two nations has become stronger and more productive with various areas of cooperation being pursued in agriculture, trade, tourism, and defense, among others.
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Activities in Moscow, Russian Federation