MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will fly to Cambodia next week to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders' summits.

Marcos will present the Philippines' position on important issues and his administration's foreign policy priorities during the 40th and 41st ASEAN summits from Nov. 10 to 13, said Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary Daniel Espiritu.

"At the top of the list is the post-pandemic economic recovery and transformation. That would cover food security, energy security, digital transformation and the digital economy, and also climate change in as much as this is very much related our disaster management efforts in the Philippines," Espiritu said.

The President is also expected to join the other world leaders in the call for an end to hostilities between Ukraine and Russia, and for the 2 countries to go back to the "negotiation table" and resolve the issues in a peaceful manner.

The South China Sea issue may be discussed in the meeting of world leaders.

ASEAN leaders will also tackle the "5-point consensus" on how to resolve the political crisis in Myanmar, the DFA said.

Myanmar has been in chaos since a coup in February last year, with some 2,300 killed in the military's brutal crackdown on dissent, according to a local monitoring group.

• ASEAN warns Myanmar against more executions

BILATERAL TALKS

On the sidelines of the ASEAN summits, Marcos will hold bilateral talks with some leaders, including the host country, Cambodia.

Marcos and Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will discuss the details of a free trade agreement and ways to boost the defense and security cooperation between their countries.

"The Republic of Korea is a key partner of the Philippines economically, in terms of defense and security and also in terms of tourism," DFA Assistant Secretary Nathaniel Imperial said.

"We have a very multifaceted relationship with the Republic of Korea, so it is very important that we discuss current and pending issues between the countries, and the opportunities that we can pursue," he added.

DELEGATION

The list of the official delegation is still being finalized, but the inclusion of Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo, DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo and Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual has been confirmed so far.

"Why these 3? Because they form the 3 pillars of ASEAN - the secretary of foreign affairs for the political security pillar, the trade secretary for the trade pillar, and the DSWD secretary for the socio-cultural pillar," Espiritu said.

"But it is up to the President if he will decide whom among the others he wants to bring with him, especially on issues that are relevant to these other cabinet secretaries," he added.

Before returning home, Marcos will meet with the Filipino community and update them on the policies and programs for their protection and welfare.

After the ASEAN summit, the President's next foreign trips include the APEC Summit in Thailand this November and the ASEAN-EU summit in Brussels, Belgium.

KOREA MISSILE LAUNCHES

Meanwhile, the DFA announced that the Philippine government on Friday issued a statement condemning North Korea's latest missile launches which have increased the tension in the region.

This is the fourth statement released by the Philippines since early this year on the matter, DFA noted.

"Similar to the position of ASEAN, calling all parties to resume peaceful dialogue and negotiations and to lessen tension on the Korean peninsula. This is of paramount concern because we do have around 46,500 Filipinos living and working in the Republic of Korea, in close proximity to North Korea," DFA Usec Nathaniel Imperial said.

"We have called on North Korea to abide by the relevant UN security council resolutions," he added.

Pyongyang fired about 30 missiles Wednesday and Thursday, including an intercontinental ballistic missile and one that landed near South Korea's territorial waters for the first time since the end of the Korean War in 1953.

• Why is Kim firing so many missiles? US-South Korea drills, experts say

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