President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stressed the importance of nations working together to address global issues at the opening ceremony of the 49th ASEAN Summit held at PICC on Nov. 15.

Speaking before the regional bloc’s members and guests at the opening of the plenary session of the 49th ASEAN Summit in Manila on Sunday at the Philippine International Convention Center, Marcos said that the country’s chairmanship this year had centered around peace and security, prosperity and people empowerment, with more than 100 outcome documents forwarded through negotiations among the member states.

Seven European countries have joined Southeast Asia’s Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, marking a widening of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ diplomatic reach beyond the region as the Philippines pursues stronger international partnerships during its chairship.