VIENTIANE: Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed an interest in visiting Malaysia.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said this was relayed to him by Duterte himself on the sidelines of the ongoing Asean summit in Vientiane, Laos.
"We exchanged views on the current situation in the Philippines, particularly on the attack in Davao City that killed 14 people.
"Duterte said terrorism is an immediate concern for him," Najib told reporters at the end of the first day of the summit.
However, the proposed date of Duterte's visit, Sept 25, clashes with the prime minister's visit to Germany.
The Filipino community has a sizeable presence in Malaysia, with the Philippines' Commission of Filipinos Overseas estimating that there are around 793,000 Filipinos in the country.
Meanwhile, Najib also stressed on the need for Asean to speak with a unified voice in the face of current challenges.
"We cannot afford to break rank. If we can speak in one voice, we will become much stronger as we will be speaking on behalf of more than 600 million people, as opposed to a single nation," he said.