Marcos arrives in Russia

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos arrived in Kazan yesterday for a two-day working visit that seeks to affirm the ties between Russia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and to promote cooperation in key areas such as energy, peace and security and trade.

He is scheduled to participate in the ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit and hold a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the visit, his 43rd foreign trip since becoming president in 2022.

“We travel to Kazan with purpose, and we return with renewed commitment to our partnership,” the President said in a recorded departure statement.

First Lady Liza Marcos did not join the President’s working visit to Kazan, which she described as “a long journey for such a short visit.”
“Thirteen hours to get there, another 13 hours flying home and only about 38 hours on the ground. But every hour matters when the conversations revolve around issues that affect everyday life for Filipino families – from food and energy security to fuel prices,” she said in a Facebook post that also contained photos of her sending off the President at Villamor Air Base.

Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III and Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino will serve as caretakers of the government while Marcos is in Russia.

According to Marcos, his visit to Russia “carries both regional and personal significance,” noting that it would be his first time on Russian soil in nearly 50 years.

His last visit to the transcontinental country was when his father and namesake, the late president Ferdinand Marcos Sr., embarked on a historic visit to the then Soviet Union in 1976. The younger Marcos said the visit had culminated in the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Russia.

“That milestone opened an enduring chapter in Philippines-Russia relations grounded in mutual respect, dialogue and cooperation, and one that we continue to build upon today,” the President said, noting that the two countries are commemorating 50 years of diplomatic relations this year.

Marcos’ working visit to Kazan will also coincide with the Philippines’ chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, whose full-fledged dialogue partners include Russia.

“As chair of ASEAN, the Philippines is committed to ensuring that this commemorative summit produces substantive and forward-looking outcomes that deepen ASEAN’s strategic partnership with Russia and contribute in concrete terms to regional peace, stability and shared prosperity,” Marcos said.

“Together with my fellow ASEAN leaders and President Vladimir Putin, we will take stock of 35 years of ASEAN-Russia cooperation and help chart the course for the decades ahead,” he added.

Marcos said the discussions during the commemorative summit would be anchored on key deliverables across the political, security, economic and socio-cultural pillars of the partnership between the regional bloc and Russia. The talks are also expected to cover cooperation in peace and security, trade and investment, food and energy security, science and technology, digital transformation, education, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.

Marcos will also meet with Putin on the sidelines of the summit to mark the golden anniversary of bilateral relations between Manila and Moscow, which were formally established on June 2, 1976.

“Our discussions will focus on concrete areas of mutual interest, particularly energy and food security,” Marcos said.