FILE PHOTO: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. PHOTO FROM PALACE
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed concern over the war between Russia and Ukraine and North Korea’s ballistic missile tests at the 41st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit Retreat in Cambodia on Friday.
Marcos said these recent events in the region and in the world have impeded global economic development and “uncovered the real struggle facing the human race: the defense of the common universal values that underpin our common humanity.”
“The Philippines reiterates its grave concerns over the series of missile launches conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) this year,” he said, as quoted in a statement from the Office of the Press Secretary.
READ: Philippines condemns North Korea’s missile launches
Marcos then urged North Korea to abide by the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council. He likewise called for continuous dialogues and engagement among all concerned parties in a bid to stabilize the situation in the region.
“Our greatest fear is that if nuclear weapons become conventional weapons by the use of another country, for example by Russia in Ukraine, it becomes a conventional weapon. It will encourage others to unleash their nuclear weapons. This will be the end of us all,” he said.
Further touching on the Russia-Ukraine war, Marcos called for diplomacy to be employed in resolving conflict, as he noted that the turmoil has sparked a global energy and food crisis.
READ: Russia’s war in Ukraine: Latest developments
“We are also concerned with the severe and disruptive international economic ramifications of this ongoing conflict, particularly on global food and energy security and commodity supply chains,” he said.
Marcos also echoed the call to cease hostilities among the countries in conflict.
“We always urge peace in the resolution of these conflicts,” he stressed.
On Thursday, Marcos, who is attending his first Asean summit as Philippine President, talked about the worsening political crisis in Myanmar during his bilateral meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
READ: Marcos, Cambodian PM agree being patient is ‘way forward’ to handling Myanmar crisis
He is also eyeing to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping about the territorial dispute of the Philippines and the Asian giant over the West Philippine Sea.
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