Duterte arrives in Sochi to meet with Putin, Jordan king

President Duterte lands in Sochi, Russia where he is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with his “favorite hero” Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin. @gmanews pic.twitter.com/yWGXutEqEj

— sandra aguinaldo (@sandraguinaldo) October 2, 2019

President Rodrigo Duterte arrived in Sochi in Russia on Thursday morning (PHL time) for the bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Sandra Aguinaldo's report on Unang Hirit.

Duterte came from Moscow where he met with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

In Sochi, Duterte and Putin will witness the exchange of several bilateral agreements that cover political cooperation, health, science and technology and culture.

President Duterte is also scheduled to meet with the King of Jordan, Abdullah Bin al Hussein, and speak at the Valdai Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club, a prominent think tank in Russia.

The Valdai forum gathers world leaders, top Russian and international officials as well as policymakers and academics to discuss issues in line with this year’s theme  “The Dawn of the East and the World Political Order.”

Duterte’s October 1 to 5 trip to Russia will be a follow-up to his inaugural visit in May 2017, which was cut short by the conflict in Marawi City.

On Friday, Duterte will attend a business forum in Moscow aimed at promoting the trade and investment opportunities between the Philippines and Russia.

Another activity of the President in the Russian capital is the conferment of an honorary doctorate degree by the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, one of Russia’s most prestigious learning institutions. He is expected to give a lecture to Russia’s future diplomats.

His other scheduled activities in Moscow included a visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Aleksandrovsky Garden, tour of the Kremlin Palace and attendance to a Filipino cultural performance.

Duterte will end his visit on Saturday with a meeting with the Filipino community there. — BAP/KBK, GMA News