MOSCOW, June 15. /TASS/. The Philippines has formally requested a bilateral meeting between its leader Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a Russia-ASEAN summit coming this week in Kazan, Ambassador of the Asian country to Moscow Igor Bailen told Izvestia.

"We have requested a meeting between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and President Vladimir Putin. So, I think, the two leaders will have their first meeting. Apart from the ASEAN-Russia summit, they could certainly discuss a certain progress in bilateral dialogue between the Philippines and Russia," he said.

Earlier, PNA news agency reported, citing the Filipino leader’s press officer Claire Castro, that the Philippines had confirmed it would attend the summit.

Kazan will host the Russia-ASEAN summit on June 17-19. The previous summit between Russia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) took place via video link in 2021. This year marks the 35th of diplomatic relations between Russia and the regional intergovernmental organization.