The official did not say what the two men discussed, except to suggest that it was not substantive. He shook hands with Duterte the previous evening but “it was not a long interaction”. The basis for this relationship is historical and both leaders realise this.
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The controversial Filipino leader later expressed regret over the remarks, but not before Mr Obama had cancelled a planned meeting.
Speaking at a news conference in Laos on Thursday, Obama says he continues to believe Trump isn’t qualified to be president and that “every time he speaks, that opinion is confirmed”.
President Barack Obama’s 11th and final trip to Asia looked rude and ragged from the outside.
An arbitral tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands, struck down China’s expansive claim over the South China Sea in a historic ruling on July 12. More than 2,800 suspected drug dealers and users have been killed since Duterte took office.
The White House said the remarks weren’t constructive and prompted called off the meeting, which had been slated for Tuesday.
“I’m very happy that it happened”, Philippines’ foreign minister, Perfecto Yasay, said of their short meeting.
“Obviously the Filipino people are some of our closest friends and allies and the Philippines is a treaty ally of ours”.
With his presidency nearing an end, Obama’s agenda has narrowed to a few key goals he hopes to complete before his successor takes over.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte steps out of his limousine upon arrival at Merdeka Palace to meet Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Sept. 9, 2016.
In Laos, where he was the first US president to visit, Obama summed up some of its achievements: new defense agreements or collaborations with Japan, Australia and South Korea; the deployment of more military capability to the region; improved relations with former adversaries such as Burma and Vietnam, and the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.
In an open letter, Cayetano earlier asked Obama to “give the Philippines and Duterte a chance”, amid the government’s relentless war on drugs and criminality.
Obama and Duterte are in the Laotian capital along with other regional leaders for the summit.
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According to his spokesman, Duterte had suffered a severe migraine. But he says the USA wants these disputes to be resolved peacefully and will keep working to help make that happen. Because of the bombing, Andamar said: “The president was not able to rest on the weekend which is usually his rest day on Saturday, because he had to attend to the victims, the victims’ families and the investigation”. So, again, given that focus, we felt that it wasn’t the right time to have a bilateral meeting between the two Presidents.
