MANILA: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked his Philippine counterpart on Monday for Manila’s participation in a high-level peace summit later this month, describing it as a “very strong signal” toward achieving peace in the war-torn nation.
In their first-in person meeting in Manila, Zelensky also thanked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr for his country’s “clear position” on Russia’s “occupation of our territories,” while the Philippine leader assured him of his continued support.
“I’m happy to hear today from you that you participate (in) our basic steps to the peace,” Zelensky told Marcos during their bilateral meeting, speaking in English. He thanked Marcos for Manila’s participation in the peace summit, saying “it’s a very strong signal.”
It was not immediately clear if Marcos would attend the summit or if he would send an envoy.
“Thank you so much (for) your big word, and clear position... about this Russian occupation of our territories,” he said, adding that Ukraine will open an embassy in Manila this year.
Wearing a black shirt and olive fatigues, Zelensky arrived at the presidential palace on Monday after an unscheduled appearance at Asia’s biggest security conference in Singapore during the weekend to drum up support for the two-day peace summit in Switzerland.
Marcos delivered the keynote address at the security forum, criticizing what he described as illegal, coercive and aggressive actions by “other actors” in the South China Sea — a censure of China, although he didn’t name the country.
Marcos told Zelensky he was “honored” the Ukrainian leader was visiting Manila.
“It’s a great pleasure to meet, to discuss, issues that are common for both countries, and hopefully, we find ways for both of us together,” Marcos said.
Russia, which calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation,” has not been invited to the June 15-16 summit to be hosted by the Swiss government. Russia has dismissed the talks as meaningless without its participation.
While in Singapore, Zelensky told a news conference that he was not able to meet the Chinese delegation at the conference and was disappointed that Beijing, a Moscow ally, would not attend the summit.
Zelensky has urged US President Joe Biden to attend, although Washington has yet to confirm who it will send.
Ukraine’s Zelensky thanks Marcos for Philippine participation in peace summit
https://arab.news/bvq3y
Ukraine’s Zelensky thanks Marcos for Philippine participation in peace summit
- Russia not invited to the June 15-16 summit to be hosted by the Swiss government
- Moscow has dismissed the talks as meaningless without its participationUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, left, during a bilateral meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the Malacañan Palace in Manila on June 3, 2024. (Reuters)
Nigerian gunmen free kidnapped Muslim religious travelers
- Kidnappings for ransom are common in the west African country
JOS, Nigeria: Gunmen have released a group of people they kidnapped in central Nigeria who were traveling for a Muslim religious event, the brother of one of the victims told AFP Saturday.
On December 21, unidentified attackers abducted 28 people, including women and children, in Plateau state while they were traveling to a Malud gathering to mark the birth of the Prophet Muhammad.
Kidnappings for ransom are common in the west African country. But the abduction in Plateau state came after a spate of mass kidnappings in November that drew international scrutiny over the country’s grim security situation.
“Yesterday at night, an official of the State Security Service called and told us that our people have been rescued,” said Ibrahim Musa, a brother of one of the victims.
Musa told AFP he and others “are eagerly waiting to receive our people” once they’re handed over by security forces to their families.
The Plateau abduction occurred on the same day authorities secured the release of 130 schoolchildren — the last batch of more than 250 snatched from their Catholic boarding school in north-central Niger state.
It was unclear how the Plateau travelers were freed. Paying ransoms is technically illegal in Nigeria, though the government is often suspected of doing so.
Neither the police nor the State Security Service — also known as the Department of State Services (DSS) — immediately responded to a request for comment.
US President Donald Trump has latched onto the insecurity in Nigeria, focusing on the killing of Christians and putting Abuja under diplomatic pressure.
In late December the US launched strikes on what it and the Nigerian government said were militants linked to the Daesh group.
Nigeria’s myriad armed conflicts kill people across religious lines, and some experts have warned Trump’s focus on Christian victims may inflame communal tensions.
