EU Council President to push through with PHL visit despite tense PHL-EU relations

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