(Eagle News)– President Rodrigo Duterte met on Tuesday Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe before the opening of the ASEAN Summit in Laos.
Both bilateral meetings took place at the National Convention Center in Vientiane.
Duterte first meeting was with Lee.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Lee invited Duterte to visit Singapore, and congratulated him on his election.
“Both leaders reaffirmed the long and close ties between the two countries and looked forward to the celebrations of the golden jubilee of diplomatic relations in 2019. They discussed domestic and regional developments,” said Lee’s press secretary Chang Li Lin.
On the other hand, Abe congratulated Duterte on his presidency, and even praised him for being such a popular figure.
“Mr. President is quite a famous figure also in Japan, and I am very excited to see you in person,” Abe said.
The Japanese prime minister also extended his sympathy over the Roxas night market blast.
“First of all, I would like to underscore that Japan firmly deplores the terror incident which took place in Davao the other day. I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt condolences for the victims and their family members and also I’d also like to reiterate my feelings of sympathy for you,” Abe stated.
