Duterte skipped the Asean-UN Summit with Ban Wednesday night, to pay a courtesy call on Lao President Bounnhang Vorachith.
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When asked whether Duterte had stolen the limelight at the Asean Summit, the prime minister said it would depend on how people viewed the matter.
“We will pursue initiative and enhance cooperation with global partners to ensure ASEAN citizens live in peace, stability, security and growth”, he said. That had caused Obama to cancel a formal meeting scheduled for Tuesday.
The President previously chose to forego a meeting with Ban at the sidelines of the Asean summits, which the Palace said was due to scheduling difficulties. Yasay stood as Duterte’s alternate in the photo session.
The spokesman was referring to last Friday’s bombing in the president’s hometown of Davao, which coincided with Duterte’s arrival there for a visit.
President Barack Obama was among several world leaders who listened to Duterte’s brief speech at the East Asia Summit in the Laotian capital of Vientiane.
Officials attending the summit said Philippine Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay read Mr Duterte’s statement on his behalf.
“They met at the holding room and they were the last people to leave the holding room”.
After warnings from Duterte on Monday that he would not be lectured on his war on drugs-which is seeing police and shadowy assassins kill an average of 44 people a day-Obama urged the Philippine leader to respect the rule of law.
“The latest incident raises concern that President Duterte’s unpredictable behavior in politics will be disruptive and could eventually spill into economics and business”, said Jonathan Ravelas, chief market strategist for the Philippines’ largest lender, BDO Unibank. “And I’m very happy that it happened”.
“Had a pleasant chat with President Barack Obama at the Gala Dinner in conjunction with Asean and Related Summits in Laos”.
Duterte had been angered by criticisms of his war on illegal drugs made by two United Nations rapporteurs.
Duterte has branded Pope Francis, the U.S. ambassador to Manila and the United Nations as “sons of whores”.
On whether Duterte had “stolen the limelight” from the Asean summits, Najib quipped that the press loved him due to his colourful statements.
Mr. Duterte chatted with Prime Minister Dmitry A. Medvedev of Russian Federation during the photo session and later over dinner, where he lifted his wineglass to toast Medvedev.
Secretary Martin Andanar of the Presidential Communications Office, which released the statement, blamed the snafu on miscommunication. But the relationship became strained when Obama said that he also wanted to talk to Duterte about the country’s politics, namely the Philippines’ deadly war on drugs that has left 2,400 dead.
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“But he attended the East Asia Summit and defended the republic’s actions in the effort to fight drug criminals”, Najib said, adding that Duterte also had showed pictures of dead bodies said to be those of criminals. Duterte blamed the attack on Islamist militants loyal to the Abu Sayyaf terrorist organization, and then said that if he caught any of them he would eat them alive.
