Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda on Tuesday met with the President of the Republic of the Philippines, Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr, here as part of his party’s outreach programme, ‘Know BJP’.
The meeting came on the sidelines of Marcos Jr.’s five-day state visit to India.
“During our discussion, I briefed him on how the world’s largest political party functions, including its ideology, organisational structure and outreach. We exchanged valuable insights to strengthen party-to-party ties,” Nadda said in a social media post.
“We also had a detailed discussion on how to enhance cooperation in the healthcare sector. Looking forward to continued cooperation and mutual progress,” the Union Minister added.
Calling it one of the “most productive and constructive” visits he has ever had, the Philippines President said it reflected the “enduring closeness” between the two nations.
Earlier, speaking at a banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Marcos Jr. said, “It has been one of my most productive and constructive visits that I have ever had, and I attribute this to the enduring closeness between the Philippines and India.”
On Tuesday, India and the Philippines agreed to elevate their relationship to a Strategic Partnership.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the visiting leader also pushed for the early conclusion of the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) to boost trade between the two countries.
In a joint statement, the two countries raised concern over the situation in the South China Sea. They called for peace, stability and respect for international law in the region.