BY Joven Tungala
India sees the significant potential for enhancing maritime cooperation with the Philippines, its foreign minister said Tuesday.
India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who is currently in the Philippines, said this during a joint press briefing with his counterpart, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo.
“The growing comfort and trust between us is also reflected in the ongoing supply of rice from India as an exceptional measure,” Jaishankar said.
“As two seafaring nations of the Indo-Pacific, our maritime cooperation holds great potential,” he added.
The Philippines and India entered several agreements last year, particularly on enhanced maritime cooperation and white shipping.
Manalo, on the other hand, said that the Philippines and India decided to elevate their maritime cooperation.
“Our countries have a shared interest in a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. Minister Jaishankar and I have decided to accelerate our maritime cooperation, with a planned Maritime Dialogue with India to be held in Manila,” he said.
Similarly, the Philippines’ top diplomat noted that the country recognizes the ongoing significance of India’s defense industries in the AFP Modernization Program.
To recall, the Philippines is awaiting the delivery of the India-made BrahMos missiles, which are expected to boost the defense capabilities of the Philippine Navy.
Manalo said other priority areas of the Philippines’ bilateral ties with India include education and training, as well as research and development in support of the country’s Self-Reliant Defense Posture.
“Development cooperation, agriculture, food security, affordable healthcare, and infrastructure, remain high in our shared development agenda,” he said.
“We have also taken note of India’s significant successes in science and technology, space and financial technology, particularly on financial inclusivity. We are keen to begin closer cooperation in this regard,” he added.
Manalo said that the Philippines is “prioritizing Indian travelers in its e-Visa system project, which we hope to launch in India in the very near future.”
“We also discussed various mechanisms to facilitate two-way trade, including progress in the negotiations of our bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement, as well as the upgrading of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement,” he said.
He noted that Philippine exports to India last year exceeded one billion US dollars for the first time.
“While this is undoubtedly a good progress, current data indicates that we still have over half a billion dollars of unrealized export potential to India,” he said.
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