President Rodrigo Duterte underscored the importance of mutual respect for independence, sovereignty, and equality among nations.
In his speech at the Plenary Session of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, Russia, Duterte pointed out that Philippines only seek fairness, equality, and mutual respect and “want a strengthened rules-based order where countries, big or small, are treated the same.”
“We want unimpeded freedom—guaranteed by our Constitution—to exercise our right to govern ourselves as a people and as we saw it fit. And we want friends and partners to respect our independence to make sovereign decisions just as we respect theirs,” Duterte said.
Duterte also stressed the importance of a nation’s independence, noting developing countries, like the Philippines, face different challenges and problems that would require different sets of solutions.
“The principles of respect for state sovereignty, non-intervention, and peaceful resolution of disputes must be upheld at all times, otherwise the order unravels,” he said.
