President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will be having bilateral meetings with at least six leaders of member economies and states of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) at the sidelines of his participation in its upcoming meetings in Thailand by the second week of November.
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary for Multilateral Affairs and International Economic Relations Gerardo Tamayo said Monday the government could not yet disclose who are the personalities the President will be meeting with, but they are already finalizing arrangements for these events.
It is still not yet confirmed if Marcos will get the chance to hold bilateral talks with US Vice President Kamala Harris, whose attendance at the forum has already been confirmed by the White House, as well as with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"These meetings have yet to be explored," Tamayo told reporters in a pre-departure briefing held ahead of the President's trip to Bangkok on Nov. 16.
On Friday, Nov. 4, DFA Assistant Secretary for Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Affairs Daniel Espiritu already confirmed that Marcos will be meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
"We have a very, multifaceted relationship with the Republic of Korea. So it's very important that they discuss current and pending issues between our two countries and the opportunities that we can pursue together," Espiritu said.
Meanwhile, DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said the government will still have the chance to talk to Harris if Marcos will not be able to conduct a meeting with her at the APEC.
Harris will be flying to the Philippines after her Thailand trip, as confirmed by the White House.
"The US government has actually already mentioned that she will make a visit to the Philippines. The visit will be after APEC," Daza said.
"The Philippines, of course, welcomes the visit of the Vice President to Manila as it will provide another opportunity to further strengthen engagement, our engagement with the US following high level meetings in the past," she added.