Russian Security Council Secretary Patrushev, Deputy FM Morgulov to visit Philippines soon - Russian Foreign Ministry
MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - Russia will heed Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte's request that his visit to Russia be organized in the warm season of the year, and Duterte's visit will be preceded by trips to Manila of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov and Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev.
"A meeting of our countries' leaders was held in Lima in November of last year. During it, [Russian President] Vladimir Putin invited Duterte to make an official visit to Russia in 2017. I am confident that the Filipino leader's wish that this trip be arranged in the warm season of the year will be heeded," Morgulov said in an interview with Interfax.
Morgulov also said he was planning to "visit Manila in April for consultations between the Foreign Ministries," and that "Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev is expected to visit the Philippines in the near future."
Ties between Moscow and Manila have been developing rapidly since Duterte came to power in the Philippines, he said.
"Following his [Duterte's] inauguration, bilateral ties have actually been demonstrating heightened dynamics," Morgulov said.
When speaking about the prospects for broadening trade and investment cooperation between Russia and the Philippines, Morgulov noted the existence of "good opportunities in the sphere of power engineering, including the construction of power distribution facilities in the Philippines."
"The development of cooperation in the mining industry also looks highly promising. Russian companies' participation in implementing projects to build railways and a monorail light-rail metro service and upgrade ports in the Philippines could become mutually beneficial as well. We also see the interest toward boosting agricultural cooperation," the diplomat said.