Duterte pushes for action to stop terrorist financing in ASEAN-India summit

January 26, 2018

President Rodrigo Duterte has urged Southeast Asian countries and India to have strong cooperation to address terrorist financing.

In a statement from New Delhi on Friday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said this was one of the issues raised by Duterte during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India plenary meeting on Thursday.

"PRRD (Duterte) in the plenary pushed for regional and multilateral cooperation to address terrorist financing to prevent violent extremism and importancee of timely intelligence gathering and analysis," he said.

Quoting Duterte, he said the President wants the threats to regional security and stability to be stopped.

"ASEAN and India must step up cooperation in intelligence gathering, sharing and analysis," he said.

Roque said Dutere also expressed support in the conduct of regular senior officials' meeting on tansnational crime in consultation with India.

Duterte also raised the need to protect future generations from the scourge of illicit drugs as he welcomed concerted efforts to address drug menace through consultation with India and ASEAN senior officials on drug matters.

The Philippine leader has declared an all-out war against illegal drugs where thousands of drug suspects have been killed.

Roque said Duterte also invited India to invest in submersible cables and port facilities as well, as he stressed the need to intensify ASEAN-India trade and economic cooperation through free trade area.

Duterte also called for stronger cooperation on biodiversity consultation and in the management of the ecosystem to prevent it from further degradation.

Duterte is set to arrive in Davao City from a three-day official visit to India early Saturday. Celerina Monte/DMS