Philippines, Russia to expand bilateral cooperation

10/6/2019 - 5:14:48 PM

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have agreed to enhance cooperation between the two countries.

Speaking at their talks with Duterte in the Russian city of Sochi on October 3rd, Putin affirmed the Philippines is an important partner of Russia in Asia, and their bilateral cooperation should be developed in a constructive and mutually-beneficial manner.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) shakes hands with Philippine's President Rodrigo Duterte prior to their talks at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi. (Source: AFP)

He said Russian companies are ready to increase deliveries to the Philippines of mineral resources, aircraft, transport and special equipment.

Russia is interested in cooperation with the Philippines in the fields of nuclear energy, space exploration and digital technology, Putin said, adding that Moscow is also willing to share its counter-terrorism experience and practices with the Southeast Asian nation.

For his part, Duterte confirmed his commitment to building a strong partnership with Russia.

According to the Philippine leader, the two countries have strengthened government-level cooperation over the last two years and promoted projects in the areas of defence, security and military techniques.

Duterte also highlighted the high-level advisory mechanism between the foreign ministries, the national security councils and the finance ministries of the two nations.

The talks between the two leaders was part of Duterte’s ongoing visit to Russia. This is the second visit by the Philippine leader to Russia after his first trip in May 2017./.

Source: CPV

Removing “bottlenecks” in global problems

The Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of the world’s leading developed and emerging economies (G20) recently held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil emphasised the need to reform global governance institutions, especially the United Nations Security Council. The meeting is also an opportunity for G20 to find solutions to a series of hot issues facing the world, such as poverty, climate change, and conflict.

ASEAN FMs issue statement on maintaining, promoting stability in maritime sphere in Southeast Asia

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers on December 30 issued a statement on maintaining and promoting stability in the maritime sphere in Southeast Asia.

Optimistic signals of the world economy

The world economy has overcome a challenging year, but has proven more resilient than expected. The Financial Times (UK) commented that 2023 was a positive year for the world economy as the economic surprise index collated by Citigroup shew that actual data have underwhelmed economists’ predictions for much of the past months. These economic trends are the basis for optimism about the world economy in 2024.