By Riyaz ul Khaliq
ISTANBUL (AA) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday paid an official visit to the Philippines.
He is the first Ukrainian president to visit the Southeast Asian nation.
“I am grateful to the Philippines for supporting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, for its clear position on Russia's aggression against our country, and for supporting important UN resolutions,” Zelenskyy said.
During his talks with his Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Zelenskyy said: “We discussed the inaugural Global Peace Summit and the importance of Southeast Asian countries being represented there.”
He confirmed that Manila will participate in the summit scheduled in Switzerland on June 15 and 16.
“We also talked about bilateral cooperation, particularly Ukrainian agricultural exports to the Philippines,” said the Ukrainian president.
He added that Kyiv intends to open an embassy in Manila this year to “strengthen bilateral cooperation.”