On August 5th, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the President of Philippines Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. held bilateral talks at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi as a part of the ongoing 5-day state visit by the Philippines President to India. In the high-level talks held, New Delhi and Manila agreed upon a series of strategic initiatives and emphasized on the importance of continued cooperation for the sake of bilateral benefit and also to ensure regional security and balance of power in the Indo-Pacific.
Both the leaders also released a postage stamp to commemorate 75 years of trusted and lasting diplomatic relations. “PM Narendra Modi warmly welcomed President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of the Philippines at Hyderabad House. India and Philippines share close bonds based on the foundation of our civilizational, historical and people-to-people connections. Comprehensive discussions aimed at further cementing our enduring friendship and strong bilateral relations lie ahead”, said the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
Asserting the Seal of ‘Strategic Partnership’
During the bilateral meeting both the leaders agreed to elevate the India-Philippines relations into a ‘strategic partnership’. Under this vital and redefined partnership both the countries adopted a plan of action for the period of 2025 to 2029. This vision document helps to strategically steer the bilateral relations in a comprehensive, secure and mutually beneficial way.
“It is a matter of pleasure that today we have decided to elevate our relations to the status of a strategic partnership. A comprehensive action plan has also been formulated to translate the potential of this partnership into foreseeable results”, said Prime Minister Modi during the meeting.
Assuring the Message of Secure Indo-Pacific
Prime Minister Modi and his Philippines counterpart during the bilateral meeting echoed the message of peace, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific. In an era, where the geopolitical gravity is shifting from transatlantic to Indo-Pacific and as the maritime domain is being emerged as a contentious geopolitical theatre, the message from New Delhi and Manila regarding the inclusivity, transparency and freedom of navigation of Indo-Pacific is considered as a strategic necessity, and the leaders reiterated the importance of this rule-based international order.
“India and the Philippines are friends by choice and partners by destiny. From the Indian Ocean to the Pacific, we are united by our shared values. Ours is not just a friendship of the past, it is a promise to the future”, said Prime Minister Modi during the bilateral meeting. “We are committed to peace, security, prosperity and a rule-based order in the Indo-Pacific region. We support freedom of navigation in accordance with the international law”, the Prime Minister added. Meanwhile, Philippines President said, “Indo-Pacific is the correct evolution of Asia-Pacific”.
Series of MoUs Inked
In the bilateral meeting, India and Philippines inked and exchanged a series of Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) across a diverse spectrum of areas. Both the nations also shared the terms of reference for the negotiations of a Preferential Trade Agreement(PTA). Also, the MoUs exchanged encompass cooperation in the domain of-
- Terms of Reference between the Indian Air Force and the Philippine Air Force on Air-to-Air Staff talks
- Terms of Reference between the Indian Army and the Philippine Army on Army-to-Army staff talks
- Terms of Reference between the Indian Navy and the Philippine Navy on Navy-to-Navy talks
- Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in criminal matters
- Treaty on transfer of sentenced persons
- Programme of cooperation in the field of science & technology for the period of 205-2028.
- Implementation programme between the tourism departments of both the countries.
- MoU for cooperation in the field of digital technologies
- Statement of intent between ISRO and the Philippines Space Agency for cooperation in peaceful uses of outer space.
- Terms of Reference for enhanced maritime cooperation between the Indian Coast Guard and the Philippine Coast Guard
- Cultural Exchange Programme between both the countries.
- India to extend support on a pilot project for setting up of Philippines Sovereign Data Cloud Infrastructure
- E-tourist visa facility extended to Filipino nationals for a period one year
With the latest bilateral meeting, India-Philippines relations are growing as a testimonial for credible, trusted and enduring partnership to navigate the geopolitical challenges of the 21st century, especially in the Indo-Pacific domain that has highest geopolitical value
