New Delhi, Sept. 13 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr. of the Philippines on Sunday decided to strengthen their strategic partnership with defence and security, trade and investment, space and fintech, railways and emerging technologies becoming important areas of cooperation, as India aims to enhance its strategic presence in the Indo-Pacific Region.
The bilateral discussion held on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit here in New Delhi gained importance as the Philippines attended the BRICS Summit, being the ASEAN chair country currently.
Prime Minister Modi welcomed the presence of the Philippines at the Summit, highlighting India's increasing engagement with ASEAN and its larger outreach to Southeast Asia. The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the progress made in various fields of bilateral relations and decided to expedite cooperation in the field of defence and security, trade and investment, space, railway infrastructure, fintech, education, tourism, science and technology and innovation.
Defence and security will probably remain the most significant aspects of the India-Philippines relationship.
The evolving relationship in defence cooperation between India and the Philippines has already become strategic in nature, with the Philippines being the first foreign purchaser of the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile systems. The relationship has further moved on from simply defence sales and now includes military exchanges, maritime cooperation, joint exercises, training, and military cooperation more generally. For India, the Philippines has an important place due to its geographical location in the Western Pacific region.
The significance of the Philippines to India transcends the bilateral context. As an ASEAN
member and also currently holding the office of the ASEAN Chair, the Philippines holds a significant position for India in its Act East Policy.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.