President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. departed for Kazan, Russia, late Tuesday night to co-chair the ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin. Leaving Manila at 11:55 p.m., the President is leading the regional delegation for the high-level event scheduled from June 17 to 18.
Serving as a key dialogue arena, the summit brings regional leaders together to address critical issues such as economic trade, national security, digital transformation, and regional energy and food stability.
With the Philippines serving as the current chair of ASEAN, the administration intends to utilize the assembly to strengthen ties between the regional bloc and Moscow.
Highlighting the gravity of his mission, President Marcos Jr. emphasized the country’s strategic goals before his departure:
“As chair of ASEAN, the Philippines is committed to ensuring that this summit produces substantive and forward-looking outcomes that deepen ASEAN Strategic Partnership with Russia and contribute, in concrete terms, to regional peace, stability, and shared prosperity.”
The diplomatic gathering marks 35 years of formal cooperation between Southeast Asian countries and Russia.
Reflecting on the future trajectory of the multilateral coalition, noted the collaborative task ahead for the attending heads of state:
“Together with my fellow ASEAN Leaders and President Vladimir Putin, we will take stock of 35 years of ASEAN–Russia cooperation and help chart a course for the decades ahead.”
In addition to participating in the central plenary discussions, the Philippine President is scheduled for a private bilateral meeting with President Putin to address specific geopolitical and economic matters.
Reaffirming the diplomatic baseline of the regional bloc, Marcos outlined the framework of the upcoming talks:
“Our discussions will focus on concrete areas of mutual interest, particularly energy and food security. Guided by our ASEAN Chairship theme, ‘Navigating Our Future Together,’ the Philippines will continue to champion ASEAN unity, centrality, and solidarity and promote an open, inclusive, and rules-based regional architecture anchored in international law.”
Expressing long-term optimism regarding the collaborative potential of the ongoing diplomatic dialogue, the President added a final forward-looking outlook:
“We look forward to building on these foundations and opening new avenues of cooperation for the future.”
The working visit represents the younger Marcos’ first official trip to Russian soil.
The diplomatic mission carries a notable historical parallel, coming 50 years after his late father, former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., made a landmark visit to the Soviet Union in 1976 that ultimately opened formal diplomatic channels between Manila and Moscow.