Philippine President to visit S'pore, Indonesia next month
Marcos follows tradition of past leaders in visiting S-E Asian states for first official trip
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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is set to fly to Indonesia and Singapore next month, following in the tradition of past leaders who visited South-east Asian nations for their first official trip.
Mr Marcos' press secretary Trixie Angeles-Cruz yesterday said the President will be in Indonesia from Sept 4 to 6, before visiting Singapore from Sept 6 to 7.
Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Mr Marcos' upcoming visit at the invitation of President Halimah Yacob.
"We look forward to welcoming President Marcos to Singapore," a spokesman said.
In May, Madam Halimah had sent her congratulations to Mr Marcos after he won the presidential election.
"I recall fondly the warm and gracious hospitality extended to me by the Filipino people during my state visit to the Philippines in September 2019," Madam Halimah wrote. "I look forward to working with you to strengthen the friendship between our two countries."
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had likewise congratulated Mr Marcos and noted the "deep and longstanding ties" between Singapore and the Philippines.
"As fellow founding members of Asean, we share a similar outlook on key regional and global developments, and work closely to promote regional peace and prosperity," PM Lee said.
Mr Marcos is also expected to visit the United States, which counts the Philippines as one of its oldest treaty allies in Asia, at a later date. He said in June that he was keen to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York, set to be held from Sept 13 to 17. US President Joe Biden has also invited Mr Marcos to visit Washington.
