Amid aggressive posturing by China in the South China Sea, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called for enhancing defence and maritime cooperation between India and the Philippines as the two countries decided to elevate bilateral ties to a strategic partnership and signed over 10 accords, including those on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and transfer of sentenced persons.
“It is a matter of happiness that today we have decided to give our relations the status of a Strategic Partnership. A comprehensive Action Plan has also been prepared to convert the potential of this partnership into results,” the PM said at a joint media interaction with visiting Philippines President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr after official talks between them.
”India and the Philippines are friends by choice, and partners by destiny. From the Indian Ocean to the Pacific, we are united by shared values. Ours is not just a friendship of the past, it is a promise to the future,” the PM said.
Modi’s comments are significant since both India and the Philippines have territorial disputes with China.
Emphasising that the Philippines is a significant partner in India’s ”Act East Policy” and the ”Mahasagar” vision, the Indian leader said the two countries are committed to peace, security, growth and rule-based order in the Indo-Pacific region.
“In our Act East Policy and Mahasagar vision, the Philippines is an important partner. We are committed to peace, security, prosperity and rule-based order in the Indo-Pacific Region. We support freedom of navigation as per international laws,” PM Modi said.
“Next year, the Philippines will chair ASEAN. We will give our full support for its success,” the Prime Minister said.
Making the joint press statement with PM Modi following their bilateral discussions at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi, the Philippines President said, “We agreed to continue levelling up our collaboration in defence and security. We expressed satisfaction over the rapid pace of the Philippines’ ongoing defence modernisation and the expanding capabilities and footprint of India’s indigenous defence industry as a partner in this undertaking, exemplified by our Brahmos project.”
“We concurred that we should be accompanied by intensified dialogue and exchanges between our defence establishments. So, we have agreed to establish mechanisms for service-to-service talks for information sharing and training exchanges amongst our militaries,” he said.
PM Modi also expressed gratitude to the Philippines President and his government for strongly condemning the April 22 Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 lives and injured several others. He welcomed Manila’s decision to give a visa-free entry to Indian tourists.
“We express gratitude to the Philippines Government and the President for strongly condemning the Pahalgam attack and standing with us in our fight against terrorism,” the Prime Minister said.
“The agreements signed today on mutual legal assistance and the transfer of sentenced persons will further strengthen our security partnership. We welcome the Philippines decision to give visa-free entry to the Indian tourists. India has also decided to give a free e-visa facility to tourists from the Philippines. This year, we will work to start direct flights between Delhi and Manila,” PM Modi said.
The defence ties between the two nations are also strengthening, with PM Modi highlighting the importance of maritime cooperation. “The ever-strengthening defence ties are the symbol of deepening mutual trust. As maritime nations, maritime cooperation between the two countries is natural and necessary,” he said. To demonstrate this cooperation, three ships of the Indian Navy, including a hydrography ship, are participating in a naval exercise in the Philippines for the first time. “Today, when the President is in India, for the first time, three ships of the Indian Navy are participating in a Naval exercise in the Philippines. India’s hydrography ship has also joined them,” PM Modi said.
“Our bilateral trade is increasing continuously and has crossed the figure of three billion dollars. To further strengthen this, it will be our priority to complete the review of India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement at the earliest. We have also decided to work towards a Bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement,” PM Modi said.
“Several MoUs were concluded and exchanged during this visit, there were 14 of them, these include mutual legal assistance treaty in criminal matters, a treaty on transfer of sentenced persons, terms of reference on negotiations for India-Philippines Preferential Trade Agreement, terms of reference for service staff talks, Army, Air Force, and Navy, enhanced cooperation between coast guards,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Secretary (East) P Kumaran said during the ministry’s special briefing.