Will Marcos meet Biden in US? DFA says consultations ongoing

Consultations are ongoing for a possible meeting between President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his American counterpart Joe Biden when the chief executive visits the United States next week, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday.

"We are still in consultations with the White House and of course the National Security Council in Washington, D.C. Ambassador Romualdez is personally dealing with the matter," said DFA Office of American Affairs Assistant Secretary Jose Victor Gonzaga at a press briefing when asked if the two leaders will meet. 

Gonzaga said that the announcement of whether a meeting would happen would come from either the DFA or Jose Manuel Romualdez, the Philippine ambassador to the US.

In July, Romualdez said Biden had invited Marcos to visit the US, but no date had been set.

Marcos will leave for the US on September 18. He is expected to speak at the 77th United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 20, where he will tackle food security, climate change, and the rule of law.
 
The President will also meet with various organizations such as the US Chamber of Commerce, the US-ASEAN Business Council, and the US-Philippines Society.

Asked if Marcos will settle a contempt order issued by a United States court in the 1990s, Cruz-Angeles said "It is not part of the agenda as far as we can see."

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in June said that heads of state were free to enter the US due to diplomatic immunity. — VBL/NB, GMA News