PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo R. Duterte has congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on the heels of his “fresh mandate to lead the Russian people,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement on Monday.

A report by Reuters said Mr. Putin “basked in a landslide re-election victory on Monday, after extending his rule over the world’s largest country for another six years at a time when his ties with the West are on a hostile trajectory.”

“President Duterte extends the warmest congratulations of the Filipino people to President Vladimir Putin on his reelection,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano said in a statement issued shortly after arriving from Sydney where he attended the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit.

“As he resumes performance of his duties, President Duterte wishes President Putin more success in leading Russia to greater progress and in advancing the cause of peace and security in our region and in the larger international community,” Mr. Cayetano said.

He added: “We also look forward to working more closely together to strengthen ASEAN-Russia dialogue relations and to advance our common interests in multilateral fora including the United Nations.”

The elections in Russia, the DFA said, were observed by two senior officials of the Commission on Elections who were among several foreign delegations invited to observe the polls.

Mr. Duterte has described Mr. Putin as an “idol” of his in an interview with CNN. The two leaders met in bilateral talks at last year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Summit in Vietnam. — with Arjay L. Balinbin

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