ASEAN leaders officially commence 43rd summit in Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Top leaders of ASEAN member-states on Tuesday officially commenced the 43rd ASEAN Summit at the Jakarta Convention Center here.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. attended the opening ceremony along with ASEAN Summit Chair and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Manet, Lao PDR Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Mark Brown, Prime Minister of Cook Islands, Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Timor-Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmaño.

Thailand was represented by its permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs Sarun Charoensuwan.

Marcos was accompanied by his wife, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.

The leaders of the ASEAN member-states did the traditional handshake during the ceremony.

Marcos will be in Indonesia until Thursday to attend the ASEAN main events as well as other related summits. He arrived in Jakarta on Monday evening.

The 43rd ASEAN Summit will conclude on September 7 with a handover ceremony of the ASEAN chairmanship from Indonesia to Laos.

Before he left the Philippines, Marcos said he would continue to promote Philippine interests during the summit and other related summits.

Marcos is expected to attend at least 13 leader-level engagements during the summit, including the 43rd ASEAN Summit Plenary Session, the Opening Ceremony of the ASEAN Indo-Pacific Forum, and the 43rd ASEAN Summit Retreat Session.

Marcos will also attend the 26th ASEAN-China Summit, the 24th ASEAN-Republic of Korea Summit, the 26th ASEAN-Japan Summit, the 26th ASEAN Plus Three Summit, the ASEAN-US Summit, and the ASEAN-Canada Summit.

He will also participate in the 20th ASEAN-India Summit, the 18th East Asia Summit, the 3rd ASEAN-Australia Summit, and the 30th ASEAN-UN Summit.

Marcos will have several bilateral meetings with other world leaders on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit.

Marcos is scheduled to meet with Cambodia's new Prime Minister Hun Manet, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Timor Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

The discussions will likely focus on bilateral cooperation, Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Daniel Espiritu said at a Palace press briefing last week.

Espirtu also said that  Marcos will meet with businesses looking to expand operations in the Philippines at the sidelines of the summit. —KBK, GMA Integrated News