The US “strongly supports” India’s NSG membership bid, President Barack Obama today told Prime Minister Narendra Modi here as they discussed the immediate priorities in the strategic partnership, including deepening the civil nuclear cooperation and combating climate change.
Advertisement
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, third left in white top, walks in with officials during ongoing 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits and other related summits at National Convention Center in Vientiane, Laos, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016.
Duterte was likely keen to clear the air after publicly scoffing earlier this week at suggestions that Obama would raise the issue of extrajudicial killings during their planned meeting.
They met for the first time at the White House in September 2014 when Modi travelled to Washington DC at the invitation of Obama. I can’t say how long they met.
Marciano Paynor, chief Philippine protocol officer and incoming Philippine ambassador to the United States, said Duterte was learning “quick” during the summit, his worldwide debut since becoming president on June 30.
The two leaders agreed to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in a befitting manner. “And I’m very happy that it happened”, Yasay said.
He said that in recent years, the US and Asia had solidified “unprecedented” cooperation that will create more prosperity for their peoples. All of them made their way through the holding room before heading to the banquet hall.
The presidents of the two longtime allies were due to hold talks on Tuesday but the White House cancelled the meeting after Duterte’s insult. The exchange consisted of pleasantries between the two. Over 2,000 people have been killed in this crackdown till now.
“People start thinking behavior that in normal times we would consider completely unacceptable and outrageous becomes normalized”, Obama said during a news conference at the tail end of his visit to Laos. You must be respectful.
“The most important thing for the public and the press is to just listen to what he says and follow up and ask questions about what appear to be either contradictory or uninformed, or outright wacky ideas”, Obama said of Trump.
Advertisement
In his rant, Duterte also declared, “Son of a bitch, I will swear at you”, though he later claimed that remark was directed at a journalist and not at Obama.
