First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos on Tuesday night saw off President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as he departed for Kazan, Russia, to co-chair the ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In a Facebook post, the First Lady noted the demanding nature of the trip, saying the President would spend 13 hours flying to Russia and another 13 hours returning home, with only about 38 hours on the ground

The visit marks President Marcos’ first trip to Russia. It comes nearly 50 years after his father, President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., made his historic visit to the then Soviet Union in 1976, which paved the way for the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

“But every hour matters when the conversations revolve around issues that affect everyday life for Filipino families — from food and energy security to fuel prices. Not an easy trip, but one made in the service of the Filipino people and our shared future in the region. Safe travels, darling. See you soon,” the First Lady said.

According to the President, as chair of ASEAN, the Philippines is committed to ensuring that this commemorative summit produces substantive and forward-looking outcomes that will deepen ASEAN’s strategic partnership with Russia and contribute in concrete terms to regional peace, stability, and shared prosperity.

“Together with my fellow ASEAN leaders and President Vladimir Putin, we will take stock of 35 years of ASEAN-Russia cooperation and help chart the course for the decades ahead. Our discussions will be anchored on key deliverables across the political, security, economic, and socio-cultural pillars of our partnership, spanning cooperation in peace and security, trade and investment, food and energy security, science and technology, digital transformation, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges,” said Marcos in his departure address.

Half a century mark

This year, the Philippines and Russia commemorate 50 years of diplomatic relations, with the President underscoring that for over five decades, the two countries’ bilateral ties have steadily deepened across trade, education, culture, agriculture, energy, science, and the sustained bonds with the Filipino people.

On the margins of the summit, the President said he would also hold a bilateral meeting with President Putin.

“Beyond marking our golden anniversary of diplomatic relations, which were formally established on 2 June 1976, our discussions will focus on concrete areas of mutual interest, particularly energy and food security. Guided by our ASEAN chairship theme, Navigating Our Future Together, the Philippines will continue to champion ASEAN unity, centrality, and solidarity and promote an open, inclusive, and rules-based regional architecture anchored in international law,” he said.

Marcos said he will likewise advance ASEAN’s engagement with external partners, such as Russia, through the dialogue mechanisms and frameworks that the community has built over many decades.

“We travel to Kazan with a purpose and we return with a renewed commitment to our partnership,” he said.