Metro Manila, Philippines— President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. announced he is looking forward to bilateral meetings with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the 40th and 41st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summits and Related Summits in Cambodia.
“I’m looking forward to the bilaterals because, again, iba ‘yung usapan kapag face-to-face [discussions are different when done face-to-face],” the President said in his interview with reporters onboard flight PR 001.
“I’ve never met with him (Trudeau), so I suppose it’s just going to be an introductory one,” Marcos added.
On the other hand, Marcos said he has spoken to Macron twice and added that their discussions can “move forward on the details of the things that [Macron is] thinking about.”
“Remember also we’ve been talking about nuclear power. France is 67% nuclear power ang kanilang [for the needed] supply. So they’re very well-practiced when it comes to that,” Marcos added.
Marcos also noted that France is trying to put together a coalition on climate change under the auspices of the United Nations.
Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Nathaniel Imperial earlier announced that Marcos will meet with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and South Korean chief executive Yoon Suk-yeol.
According to a statement from the Office of the Press Secretary, the President’s plane touched down at the Phnom Penh International Airport around 7:43 p.m. (Philippine time).
