Metro Manila, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrived in Kazan on Wednesday, June 17, to attend the ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit and hold bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, marking his first visit to Russia since assuming office.
The presidential plane landed at around 7:35 a.m. local time in the capital of Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan, where leaders from Southeast Asia and Russia are gathering to commemorate 35 years of ASEAN-Russia relations.
Marcos is expected to join fellow ASEAN leaders in discussions with Putin on regional and global issues, including peace and security, trade and investment, food and energy security, science and technology, digital transformation, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.
Before leaving Manila late Tuesday, the president described the trip as both diplomatically and personally significant.
“It will be my first time on Russian soil — a journey I undertake nearly 50 years after my father, President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., made his own historic visit to the then-Soviet Union in 1976, which culminated in the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries,” Marcos added.
The president said the 1976 visit opened “an enduring chapter” in Philippines-Russia relations based on mutual respect, dialogue, and cooperation.
As ASEAN chairman this year, Marcos said the Philippines aims to ensure that the summit produces “substantive and forward-looking outcomes” that will deepen ASEAN’s strategic partnership with Russia.
“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,” he said.
The summit coincides with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Russia, which began on June 2, 1976.
“For over five decades, our bilateral ties have steadily deepened across trade, education, culture, agriculture, energy, science, and, above all, through the sustained bonds between our peoples.”
Putin meeting
On the sidelines of the summit, Marcos is scheduled to meet Putin in a bilateral engagement expected to focus on energy and food security, among other areas of mutual interest.
“Beyond marking our golden anniversary of diplomatic relations, our discussions will focus on concrete areas of mutual interest, particularly energy and food security,” the president said.
Marcos also reiterated the country’s commitment to ASEAN centrality and a rules-based regional order.
“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,” he said.
While Marcos is in Russia, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, Special Assistant to the President Antonio Ernesto Estrella, and Labor Secretary Bienvenido Tolentino will serve as members of the caretaker committee overseeing government operations.
