President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is set to hold a bilateral meeting with Timor-Leste leaders who will mark their maiden participation in the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) Summit.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (RTVM Screenshot)
Marcos said he will take the opportunity to meet with his Timor-Leste counterpart on the sidelines of the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia.
"This is the first time that Timor-Leste will join ASEAN as an observer, and I’m looking forward to a bilateral meeting with the leaders of Timor-Leste so that we can discuss their prospective membership in ASEAN," he said.
The President stated this before leaving for Indonesia on Tuesday, May 9.
During the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits in Cambodia last year, ASEAN leaders agreed to admit Timor-Leste to be the 11th member of ASEAN and granted it an "observer status" in all ASEAN meetings pending its full membership.
Marcos will participate in the regional summit with a goal to have productive engagements with ASEAN leaders.
"I will join other Leaders of ASEAN to advance our community-building efforts in the region and ensure the well-being and security of our people, in line with Indonesia’s chairmanship theme of 'ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth'," he said.
He added that his participation "will serve to promote and protect the interests of our country, including our continued efforts towards economic growth, attaining food and energy security, promoting trade and investment, combating transnational crimes such as the trafficking in persons, and protecting migrant workers in crisis situations, amongst others."
The summit will be held until May 11.