Marcos starts 4-day visit in Melbourne for Asean summit

NIPPY DOWNUNDER Australian officials greet President Marcos and first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos at Melbourne, which was overcast at 15 degrees Celsius. —PPA POOL

MELBOURNE—President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrived in Australia at 7:15 p.m. (4:15 p.m. Manila time) on Sunday to start the four-day second part of his visit.

He, along with the first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and their official delegation, landed at Melbourne Airport aboard a chartered Philippine Airlines flight PR 001.

He will be in Melbourne from March 3 to March 6 mainly to participate in the special summit hosted by Australia for all 10 leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to celebrate the 50th year of Asean-Australia relations as dialogue partners.

Before the summit proper where he will discuss regional and global issues with his counterparts on March 6, Mr. Marcos will undertake other official activities in Melbourne.

He will deliver a speech at the Lowy Institute, attend a business forum organized by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), launch the expansion of the Victoria International Container Terminal and meet with the Filipino community.

He will also hold bilateral meetings with the prime ministers of Cambodia and New Zealand.

Mr. Marcos was in Canberra on Feb. 28 to Feb. 29 for a state visit where he addressed the Australian Parliament and signed agreements on maritime, cybersecurity and trade cooperation.

They were welcomed by Australian officials led by Assistant Minister for foreign affairs Tim Watts.

In his departure statement, the President said the summit will be an opportunity for the Philippines to reiterate its position on regional and international issues as well as thank the Australian government for its support for the rule of law.

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“As the first Asean leaders’ level engagement for the year, the summit presents an opportunity to reiterate the Philippines’ national positions on regional and international issues and set the tone for Asean’s Dialogue Partner Summits later in the year,” Mr. Marcos said.

“The summit will be an opportunity for the Philippines to thank Australia, Asean’s oldest dialogue partner, for its unwavering support for the rule of law, for the 1982 Unclos and the 2016 Arbitral Award, through timely statements of support as well as through capacity-building and academic initiatives to mainstream appreciation of international law,” he added. INQ