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President Marcos and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to explore new opportunities for cooperation in food security, energy, trade, and investment, with both leaders saying there is significant untapped potential in the Philippines-Russia relations despite steady economic ties.

The two leaders met in Kazan on the sidelines of the ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit on Wednesday, June 17, as Manila and Moscow marked the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations. (Video courtesy of RTVM via Argyll Cyrus Geducos | MB)

READ: https://mb.com.ph/2026/06/18/marcos-putin-eye-broader-philippines-russia-cooperation-in-energy-food-security-trade


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Transcript
00:00Mr. President, dear friends, it is a pleasure to welcome you in Russia, in Kazan.
00:09As far as I know, this is your first visit to Russia.
00:15This year, your country chairs in the ASEAN, and we are happy that during your chairmanship
00:24in the ASEAN, we will celebrate the 38th anniversary of our relationship with the Association.
00:31The commemorative summit is a landmark in the development of the Russia-ASEAN strategic
00:36partnership.
00:37Together, tomorrow, we will co-chair plenary of the summit and present our deliverables
00:44to mass media.
00:46But first of all, I would like once again to congratulate you, distinguished Mr. President,
00:52and all the people of the Philippines on the Independence Day on the 12th of June.
01:01Symbolically, we in Russia also celebrate our national holiday, the day of Russia, on the
01:07same date, the 12th of June.
01:09This is a happy coincidence.
01:12On top of that, this month's diplomatic relationship with the Philippines marked their 50th anniversary.
01:20And in this regard, we have just had a small talk with you, and we all remember the visit
01:28by your father, Ferdinand Marcos, to Moscow in 1976.
01:34Upon this visit, a joint communica on the establishment of interstate relations was adopted.
01:41It is noteworthy that then, amid the Cold War, it required the political will from the Philippine
01:48leadership.
01:48Such well-balanced and pragmatic approach to international affairs is, of course, of high
01:54demand today.
01:56Apparently, we are approaching the present threshold with an immense capital of mutual beneficial
02:03cooperation, underpinned by good traditions of mutual respect and respectful, legitimate
02:08interests of each other.
02:10Last year, bilateral trade exceeded $0.5 billion.
02:14Of course, this is far from the limit, and of course, there is a good potential to enhance
02:21supplies of agriculture and energy resources.
02:28Effective mechanisms of applied cooperation are in place.
02:32This includes the joint Russia-Philippine Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation.
02:38Today, we have a good opportunity, Mr. President, to evaluate the current state of the Russia-Philippine
02:45cooperation.
02:46Once again, welcome.
02:50Thank you very much, Your Excellency, Mr. President.
02:53First of all, allow me to convey my gratitude for the warm hospitality that your government
02:59and your people have shown to myself and this delegation, and speaking as Chair of ASEAN,
03:05to all of the member states of ASEAN who have come for this very important summit.
03:15It is, as you have mentioned, Mr. President, it is a particularly significant time for us
03:22to be meeting as this is the 50 years celebration of Philippine-Russian ties.
03:27And we welcome the efforts of our respective embassies.
03:33Since last year, they have spearheaded initiatives that celebrated this milestone, and in particular,
03:42the photo exhibition that was held in Moscow, inaugurated and displayed in the foreign ministry
03:51in Moscow.
03:51We hope to continue our regular conduct of political consultations between our foreign ministries.
03:59They provide a very important opportunity to explore further ways of cooperation.
04:06And once again, speaking as Chair of ASEAN, may I personally extend my invitation to Your Excellency
04:13to attend the 21st East Asia Summit, which is scheduled to take place in Manila next November.
04:21The East Asia Summit remains an integral part in maintaining a regional architecture towards our shared goal
04:28of a stable, secure, and prosperous region.
04:32On the trade and investment relationship between our two countries, again, I would like to thank you for the hospitality
04:41and support that was extended to our delegation at the fourth meeting of the Joint Commission on Trade and Economic
04:47Cooperation,
04:48which was held in Moscow last September.
04:51We appreciate the forward-looking exchange on the different structural issues that affect the trade between our two countries.
05:02And as you have mentioned, Your Excellency, there are many potential areas that I think we should – that are
05:12still open to explore.
05:13And I think that the present level of trade, although it is steady, I think that there is a great
05:23deal more that we can do.
05:26We note that during the JCTEC meeting held in Moscow, energy and food security emerged as a mutual – one
05:37of the mutual priorities of both our countries.
05:40And that is why we, again, that B2B component at the sidelines of the JCTEC enabled Philippines and Russia to
05:51establish networks and to explore joint ventures.
05:55We note that the number of memoranda of understanding that were signed during this activity
06:00the JCTC covered cooperation and innovation, retail products, cosmetics, food processing and industrial collaboration.
06:09We note that the Notification of the JCTEC has been donated for its own purpose to generate different opportunities.
06:12We note that there is a lot of changes in our region,
06:16but we do not have any changes to our generation.
06:17We are in the very sensitive migration.
06:17Therefore, even in this situation, we will not be able to move forward with the next generation.
06:20We are familiar with the postgraduate delegation,
06:20We are also familiar with the summit of the last generation of the years.
06:20And we will not be able to move forward with the key part of the past generation.
06:23We are preparing for the new generation
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