(CNN) Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Friday that he told Myanmar's embattled leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to ignore the complaints of human rights activists during a recent meeting in India.

Speaking to a business forum in New Delhi, the strongman said he pitied Suu Kyi, who has been criticized in recent months over accusations her government is deliberately killing minority Rohingya Muslims.

"She's been complaining that 'We are talking about our country, the interest of our country, our own country,' and I said, 'Don't mind the human rights (activists), they are a noisy bunch actually,' " Duterte told the forum.

Both Southeast Asian leaders were in New Delhi on Thursday for the ASEAN-India summit, followed by a parade Friday morning in honor of India's Republic Day.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, welcomes the Philippine strongman this week in New Delhi.

Duterte's administration has also faced condemnation by human rights organizations and the United Nations over its brutal crackdown on illegal drugs in the Philippines.