MANILA, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte admitted Monday night that he "purposely" skipped the meeting between the Southeast Asian leaders and United States President Barack Obama in Vientiane, Laos last week.
"The reason is not that I am anti-West. The reason is not (that) I do not like the Americans. It's simply a matter of principle," Duterte said in a speech in presidential palace.
During the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit and Related Summits in Vientiane last week, Duterte's spokesmen said the President failed to attend the ASEAN-U.S. meeting because he was not feeling well due to migraine attack.
Duterte's first attendance to an international meeting since he assumed the presidency on June 30 was hounded by controversy.
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