Marcos to join ASEAN-Gulf summit in Saudi

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos will participate in the first Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Oct. 20, aimed at strengthening security, economic and socio-cultural cooperation between the two regional organizations.

Marcos, who will be accompanied by a “very lean” delegation, will depart Manila on Thursday, according to Assistant Secretary Daniel Espiritu of the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Office of ASEAN Affairs.

While in Riyadh, the President is also expected to meet the Filipino community and Saudi Arabian business leaders.

Among those who are joining the President in Riyadh are foreign affairs and trade officials.

“It will be a very lean group, most of them working level – of course, the President and the officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Trade. But, of course, it will also include the support group of the President but it’s much, much smaller than the previous months because the trip is very short,” Espiritu said.

The one-day summit, which will be held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, will focus on the endorsement of the framework of cooperation between the ASEAN and GCC for 2024 and 2028, according to the DFA official.

He said that the first ASEAN-GCC summit is important as it will set the tone for the forward movement of the cooperation between two regional organizations.

Among the areas of collaboration that the two regional organizations will discuss are counter-terrorism and transnational crime, anti-piracy as well as cooperation between the GCC Chiefs of Police or GCCPOL and the ASEAN Chiefs of Police or ASEANAPOL.

Founded in 1981, the GCC is composed of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait.

Espiritu said there are around 2.2 million Filipinos in GCC member-countries.

He added that Marcos would also attend a roundtable meeting with Arab business leaders and the Ministry of Investments of Saudi Arabia, details of which are still being finalized.