APEC 2017: Philippines, Russia ready to bolster bilateral cooperation

Philippine President Rodrigo (L) meets with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Da Nang (VNA) – Philippine President Rodrigo on November 10 met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting held in Vietnam's central city of Da Nang.

At the meeting, Duterte thanked the Russian leader for firearms assistance, contributing to the recent victory of the Philippine army in the fight against Islamic militants in the Marawi city. The Philippines will buy more arms from Russia, he added.

For his part, Putin affirmed that the two countries are willing to strengthen bilateral cooperation, especially in defence.

In October, Russia delivered military vans and thousands of assault rifles to the Philippines during Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu’s trip to the country, marking the first time a Defence Minister of Russia has visited the Philippines.

Also in October, the Philippine army declared to complete the five-month campaign against insurgents who pledged loyalty to the self-claimed Islamic State (IS) in Marawi city.-VNA