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Rodrigo Duterte (L) and Vladimir Putin (R) (File
Photo)
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Meeting Putin, Philippines' Duterte
rails at Western 'hypocrisy'
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte lashed out at
Western "bullying" and "hypocrisy" during his first meeting
with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and said when it came to alliances, the
United States could not be trusted.
In talks with Putin during an Asia-Pacific summit
in Lima, Duterte held nothing back in his views about major powers like the
United States, suggesting he is sticking to his guns on re-aligning foreign
policy away from Washington, despite his warm words for incoming U.S.
president, Donald Trump.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin and Philippine
President Rodrigo Duterte attend a meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Lima, Peru, November 19, 2016.
Sputnik/Kremlin/Mikhail Klimentyev via REUTERS
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"Historically, I have been
identified with the Western world. It was good until it lasted," he told the
Russian leader.
"And of late, I see a lot of these
Western nations bullying small nations. And not only that, they are into so
much hypocrisy," he said, according to a transcript of Saturday's
meeting provided by his office.
Putin congratulated Duterte on his May election win
and said he had done a lot in a very short time to build trust and confidence
between Russia and the Philippines.
Duterte responded with similar words and then
chided Western powers, particularly the United States, for intervening in
conflicts for their own national interest and cajoling others to side with them.
Duterte's overtures to Russia are similar to those
he made to China, until recently a bitter rival. He is now praising Beijing and
tapping it for investment in a stunning about-face that has unnerved a region
wary of a Chinese hegemony taking shape in Southeast Asia.
The mercurial former mayor insists the shift is his
pursuit of an independent foreign policy, but that has come with repeated
threats and verbal tirades against the United States, for decades a staunch
ally, investor and donor.
Prior to leaving for Peru, Duterte said he might
follow Russia and withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC) because
of Western criticism of his deadly war on drugs. He said if Russia and China
decided to create a "new order" in the world, he would be first to
join.
In his talk with Putin, Duterte blasted the United
States and its Western allies for taking the lead in wars he said had
ultimately failed.
"They seem to start a war but are
afraid to go to war. That is what's wrong with America and the other," he said.
"They were waging war in so many
places, in Vietnam, in Afghanistan and in Iraq ... They insist if you are
allied with them that they follow you."
Duterte has spoken of his admiration for Chinese
President Xi Jinping and also for the leadership of Putin. In an interview with
Al Jazeera broadcast on Thursday, he described Putin as sincere, and joked that
he had a "hillbilly" style.
(Reporting by Martin Petty; Editing by Shri
Navaratnam)
INTERNET
SOURCE: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-apec-summit-philippines-russia-idUSKBN13F09V |
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Russian President Vladimir Putin and Philippine
President Rodrigo Duterte attend a meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Lima, Peru, November 19, 2016.
Sputnik/Kremlin/Mikhail Klimentyev via REUTERS
|
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