Marcos, Anwar of Malaysia discuss Asean talking points
President Marcos and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Friday discussed economic and security developments in Southeast Asia, such as Myanmar’s post-earthquake recovery and the United States’ tariff policy.
The two leaders shared snippets of their phone conversation on Friday afternoon on their respective social media accounts.
Their conversation came three weeks ahead of the annual leaders’ summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) on May 26 and May 27, to be hosted this year by Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia is chair of the regional bloc this year. The Philippines will take over the chairmanship as it hosts the Asean Summits in 2026.
“Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and I spoke this afternoon to exchange views on how Asean can address today’s economic and security challenges,” the President said on Facebook and Instagram on Friday night.
Mr. Marcos added: “I look forward to continuing these discussions with our Asean partners at the summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, later this month.”
Anwar also took to X to share more details of his conversation with the President, his “good friend,” about “several matters and developments related to Asean and global issues” on Friday night.
The Malaysian Prime Minister told Mr. Marcos of Malaysia’s “desire and call for the ceasefire to be extended to ensure that humanitarian aid can continue to reach the affected population.”
The day before, the military junta in Myanmar confirmed the end of the temporary cessation of hostilities that was declared after Myanmar was hit by a devastating earthquake on March 28.
The truce between the military junta and the opposition—which ended on April 30 was declared to allow humanitarian aid to reach the victims of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that left more than 3,700 dead, and tens of thousands homeless or displaced.
Earlier this week, Anwar strongly urged for the continuation of the ceasefire in Myanmar to allow the conduct of safe, impartial and effective humanitarian operations and ensure the safety of humanitarian and medical teams.
“We were also in agreement that any form of assistance must be delivered without discrimination or restrictions,” the Malaysian Prime Minister said of his talk with Mr. Marcos.
