President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is set to participate in the 34th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit alongside other ASEAN leaders in discussing a wide-array of regional issues in Bangkok, Thailand from June 22-23, 2019.

In a press briefing, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary and Director General of ASEAN-Philippine National Secretariat Junever Mahilun-West outlined the President’s hectic schedule during the Summit, which includes his attendance to the Summit Plenary, Gala Dinner for the Leaders, Leaders’ Retreat, and the 13th Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines — East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Summit.

Joined by several Cabinet members, the Philippine delegation is also set to lay down several of its key priority agenda, among which is linking the ‘Build, Build, Build’ infrastructure project to the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025.

Moreover, the crafting of the Code of Conduct in the West Philippine Sea shall be taken up in the Summit especially with the recent maritime incident involving a collision of a Chinese vessel that sank a Filipino fishing boat. This also comes as an opportune time since the Philippines serves as Country Coordinator of the ASEAN-China Dialogue Partnership until 2021.

For this year’s ASEAN Summit, the ASEAN Heads of State/Government are expected to sign 16 outcome documents, four (4) of which are to be adopted: ASEAN Leader’s Vision on Partnership for Sustainability, Bangkok Declaration in Combatting Marine Debris in ASEAN Region, ASEAN Leaders’ Statements on the ASEAN Cultural Year for 2019, and ASEAN Indo-Pacific Outlook.

President Duterte is also expected to hold several bilateral meetings that are still being finalized.

Carrying the theme ‘Advancing Partnerships for Sustainability’, the 34th ASEAN Summit is chaired by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha of Thailand.

This year also marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Thailand that was established back in 1949.

* * *

Activities in Bangkok, Thailand

Bilateral Meeting with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha of Thailand
13th BIMP-EAGA Summit	34th ASEAN Summit (Retreat)	Opening Ceremony of the 34th ASEAN Summit
Gala Dinner for the ASEAN Leaders	Bilateral Meeting with President Joko Widodo of Indonesia	ASEAN Leaders’ Interface with Representatives of the ASEAN Youth
ASEAN Leaders’ Interface with Representatives of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council	ASEAN Leaders’ Interface with Representatives of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly	34th ASEAN Summit Plenary
Courtesy Call of the Chief Executive Officers of Thailand’s Top Business Groups	Arrival at the Hotel in Bangkok	Arrival at the Royal Thai Air Force Base