Marcos, Anwar discuss trade, Myanmar humanitarian aid ahead of ASEAN summit

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim spoke on the phone on Friday afternoon to discuss economic and security developments affecting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The President shared snippets of his phone conversation with Anwar, which took place ahead of the ASEAN Summit scheduled to be held in Kuala Lumpur on May 26 and 27.

“Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and I spoke this afternoon to exchange views on how ASEAN can address today’s economic and security challenges,” Marcos said in social media posts on Friday night.

He went on: “I look forward to continuing these discussions with our ASEAN partners at the Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, later this month.”

Malaysia is the chair of ASEAN this year. The Philippines will take over the chairmanship next year and will host the regional bloc’s meetings.

In a post on X, Anwar also shared his conversation with Marcos, his “good friend,” on “several matters and developments related to ASEAN and global issues.”

“I informed him of Malaysia’s desire and call for the ceasefire in Myanmar to be extended, to ensure that humanitarian aid can continue to reach the affected population,” he said.

Anwar said he and Marcos agreed that “any form of assistance must be delivered without discrimination or restrictions” to Myanmar.

On the issue of tariffs imposed by the United States on several nations, Anwar said Malaysia, as ASEAN chair, can “leverage its position to demonstrate its significance to the U.S. in global tariff negotiations.”

“The U.S. decision to delay the implementation of tariffs for 90 days has provided some relief, allowing for further discussions on related matters, particularly because of Malaysia’s strengths in certain types of products,” he said.

Anwar added that he also wished Marcos success in the 2025 national and local elections on May 12 and expressed home that they will see each other at the upcoming ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur later this month.

_{Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.}