MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte left Manila for Moscow on his second trip to Russia on Tuesday night to meet his “favorite hero” Russian President Vladimir Putin for the fourth time.
President Duterte took a chartered flight and left the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 at 9:20 p.m.
This was the first time he took a chartered flight since he started flying on private jets in April 2018 for his foreign trips in Southeast Asia and China.
READ: Duterte at Asean summit
The President’s visit from Oct. 1 to 5 to Moscow and the easternmost city of Sochi in Russia will pick up from his first trip to the country in May 2017 that was cut short by the Marawi City siege.
he is set to deliver a speech at the plenary session of the Valdai Forum on October 3 in Sochi.
READ: Duterte, Putin hold talks in Sochi
Aside from the Valdai forum, he will also attend a Philippines-Russia Business Forum to promote trade and investment opportunities between the two countries.
The President will hold a bilateral meeting with Putin.
READ: Duterte, Trump airing valid issues
This will be the fourth meeting of the two leaders so far. They first met in November 2016 on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in Peru. This was followed during President Duterte’s visit to Russia in May 2017, and then another one on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in Da Nang, Vietnam in November 2017.
The two leaders are also set to witness the signing of several agreements on the areas of culture, health, and basic research, among others.
President Duterte will cap off his visit with a meeting with the Filipino Community in Russia on Oct. 5, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.
HIs official delegation in this Russia trip include:
- Foreign Affairs Sec. Teodoro Locsin Jr.
- Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea
- Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III
- Agriculture Secretary William Dar
- Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III
- Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana
- Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei Nograles
- Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez
- Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu
- Interior Secretary Eduardo Año
- Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi
- Communications Secretary Jose Ruperto Martin Andanar
- National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon
- Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo
/kga /atm