Bongbong Marcos to attend Asean-GCC Summit in Saudi Arabia

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers a speech at the Villamor Air Base before flying to Indonesia on September 4, 2023, for the 43rd Asean Summit. INQUIRER.net / Ryan Leagogo

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is set to leave on October 19 for Saudi Arabia to attend the 2023 Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit (Asean-GCC).

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Marcos will be in Saudi Arabia until October 20.

During a Palace briefing, DFA Assistant Secretary Daniel Espiritu said it would be “a short affair” for the President as his trip would only be for around 24 hours.

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“The President will be participating at the first Asean-GCC summit, which will be held in Riyadh, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on October 20, 2023,” the DFA official said.

“It will be a short affair, it’s just a one day meeting but it will be preceded by a Filipino community meeting, hopefully in the morning of the same day, October 20. So the President will fly in on October 19, and then he will be leaving the venue right after the dinner on October 20, right after the summit,” he added.

Espiritu said Marcos is anticipated to participate in a business roundtable among leaders and Saudi Arabian businessmen. But Espiritu also said the meetings are still being finalized as of Monday, October 16.

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A bilateral meeting between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain is also possible, he added.

The first formal contract between the Asean and GCC was formed in 1990. The GCC member states include Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

In September, Marcos attended the 43rd Asean Summit in Indonesia, where he met with world leaders like United States Vice President Kamala Harris and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

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