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Duterte tours Russian guided missile cruiser Varyag


President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday visited the Russian guided missile cruiser, Varyag, docked at Pier 15 in Port of Manila.

Duterte was joined by National Security Adviser Sec. Hermogenes Esperon and Acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo.

They were also accompanied by Russia Ambassador Igor Khovaev.

"The Russians are with me so I shall not be afraid," Duterte said during the photocall while flashing the fist gesture.

 


 

Varyag is a 186-meter-long Slava-class guided missile cruiser with 500 men on board. It has 16 missiles.

Duterte, who arrived almost an hour behind schedule, was given arrival honors by the Russian Navy Contingent. He then went to Varyag’s upper deck where the short-range anti-missile rocket system is located, before proceeding to the mid-ship to check the long-range anti-aircraft missile rocket system.

Duterte also went to the bough to see the ship's main weapon or the long distance anti-ship missile and anti-aircraft carrier. Then he went to ship museum and the admiral's room to sign the guest book.

The warship arrived in Manila on April 20 for a four-day goodwill visit, along with sea tanker Pechenga, also part of Russia's Pacific Fleet.

It is commanded by Capt. Alexsei U. Ulyanenko.

National Security Adviser Sec. Hermogenes Esperon told reporters that the warship’s presence in the Philippines is “all goodwill.”

“In the same manner that when I board the ship, I get to know the officers and know more about the ship. It’s also a time to extend our invitation to come again, which he [Duterte] did,” he said.

“They are on a tour to several countries. After this, they are going to Vietnam and then to Thailand,” he added.

This is the second Russian ship that Duterte toured after the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Tributs, which visited Manila in January.

Russia trip, defense cooperation

Esperon said Khovaev reminded Duterte about his coming trip to Russia by the end of May.

“Ambassador Khovaev is here. So naturally they would just—when the President was about to come down, ‘Mr. President, we will see you in May for the trip to Moscow,’” he said.

It was Russian President Vladimir Putin who invited Duterte to Moscow during their bilateral meeting at the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders meeting in Lima, Peru.

Esperon set that defense cooperation between the Philippines and Russia will be finalized during Duterte’s visit.

“Defense cooperation will come in the form of training, probably some exchange of information,” he said.

“We don’t really intend to go into alliances, which is a tighter agreement. But we can go into partnerships in mutually beneficial activities,” he added.

He added that joint exercises are possible but only in the far future.

“That’s a long way to go but if it can come to that later on,” he said. —RSJ/KBK, GMA News

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