MULING aalis ng bansa si Pangulong Duterte kung saan nakatakda siyang tumulak papuntang Myanmar at Thailand mula Marsoo 19 hanggang 22 para sa isang official visit.
Sa isang press conference, sinabi ni Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Assistant Secretary Charles Jose na bahagi pa rin ang mga ito ng pagpapakilala ni Duterte sa mga kalapit na mga bansa sa Southeast Asia.
“President Rodrigo Duterte will undertake [an official] visit to Myanmar on March 19 and March 20, to be followed by an official visit to the Kingdom of Thailand on March 20 to 22,” sabi ni Jose.
Idinagdag ni Jose na tanging ang
Myanmar at Thailand na lamang sa rehiyon ang hindi pa napupuntahan ni Dutarte.
“President Duterte’s state visit to Myanmar is upon the invitation of the President of Myanmar, His Excellency U Htin Kyaw who assumed office also in 2016,” ayon pa kay Jose.
Idinagdag ni Jose na nakatakda ring makipagpulong si Duterte sa mga matataas na opisyal ng Myanmar, kabilang na si State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Daw Aung San Suu Kyi at Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
“As has been the practice, President Duterte will meet with the members of the Filipino community in Nay Pyi Taw, the country’s capital,” ayon pa kay Jose.
Sinabi ni Jose na tinatayang
1,800 Pinoy ang kasalukuyang nasa Myanmar.
“In this coming trip to Thailand, the President and Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha are scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting where they are expected to discuss issues of mutual concern, including political, economic, agriculture, energy, education, and defense cooperation,” ayon pa kay Jose.
Nakatakda ring makipagpulong ni Duterte sa mga Pinoy na nasa Thailand na tinatayang aabot sa 16,000.
“The visits to Myanmar and Thailand demonstrate our leaders’ resolve to forge stronger relations with our neighbors and cooperate closely with them in various areas of endeavor,” sabi pa ni Jose.
Ito na ang ika-13 at ika-14 na biyahe ni Duterte. Nauna nang sinabi ng Malacanang na aabot na sa P227 milyon ang nagastos ng gobyerno para sa 12 biyahe ni Duterte sa unang walong buwan ng kanyang administrasyon.