The Independent Foreign policy of the government will be put
on a test.
This coming November, Manila will play host for the Association
of Southeast Asian Nation summit and one the “guest of the chair” is non other
than the European Council President Donals Tusk. The European Council President Donald Tusk
will push through in attending the summit in Manila despite the President
Duterte’s critical speeches regarding his governments war on drugs.
The Department of Foreign Affairs announced and confirmed
the council’s president would attend the 40th Anniversary of the ASEAN-EU
Commemorative Summit. *
European Council President Donald Tusk will attend the ASEAN Summit and related meetings in the Philippines(photo credit AP) |
Tusk will also be part of those world
leaders that was invited as “guest of
the chair” to to the Luncheon in Honor of the East Asia Summit Leaders and
Guests of the Chair, according to DFA spokesman Robespierre Bolivar.
"It's European Council President Donald
Tusk who will be attending the ASEAN-EU Commemorative Summit (40th anniversary)
and was invited as 'Guest of the Chair' for the Luncheon in Honor of the East
Asia Summit Leaders and Guests of the Chair," Bolivar said.
The situation is on an awkward times, when
Duterte a few days back took the criticisms regarding his government policy
more personally specially as regards his war unrelenting and brutal war on
drugs, that led to the country’s rejection of any European Union grant of aids
with conditions.
The aid that EU was willing to give for the
rehabilitation of the war torn MArawi was said to be also declined by the
government despite estimates that the
Philippines would need at least P50 billion for the lakeside town's
rehabilitation and recovery.
This rejection came after Duterte, in a speech
at the presidential palace more than a week ago, lashed at the EU and told their envoys to leave in 24 hours for supposedly warning
the Philippines that it could be ousted from the United Nations and lose its
preferential trade agreement with the bloc if extrajudicial killings in the
conduct of the drug war would continue. *
The President was made to believe that the
group that criticized drug-related deaths and political persecution in the
country was composed of members of a progressive alliance and not an official
EU delegation.
report from Philstar
report from Philstar
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