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India and the Philippines reached an agreement on Friday (Nov 6) to strengthen bilateral defense engagement and maritime cooperation, especially in the training and procurement of military equipment, and to strengthen information sharing to combat terrorism.
The decision was made at a virtual meeting of the joint commission on bilateral cooperation. The meeting was co-chaired by Mr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the Minister of External Affairs of India and Mr. Teodoro Locsin Jr, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines.
They also agreed to strengthen cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism through the exchange of information between relevant agencies and support for specialized training needs.
There is considerable defense cooperation between the two countries and the Philippines are considered to be the leader in obtaining the BrahMos cruise missile jointly developed by India and Russia. People familiar with the matter said that under the condition of anonymity, this year’s efforts to reach a missile system deal have been affected by the economic impact of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic crisis.
The ministry of external affairs has said in a statement that two sides have agreed to further strengthen national defense contacts and maritime cooperation, especially in military training and education, capacity building, regular friendly visits and procurement of defense equipment.
During the meeting, the two sides reviewed the latest developments in bilateral relations and discussed the future development of the engagement. Mr. Jaishankar and Mr. Locsin have agreed to strengthen cooperation in jointly addressing challenges, especially in the health sector, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
They also agreed to expand trade and investment links and are committed to strengthening cooperation in healthcare and pharmaceuticals, science and technology, information and communications technology, agriculture, tourism and energy. Moreover, the two sides agreed to work on simplifying the visa system, in order to expand the trade, tourism and student exchanges between two countries.
Mr. Jaishankar thanked the Philippines for providing educational opportunities for Indian students, and reaffirmed India’s assistance in the development and capacity building in the Philippines. He also invited Filipino students, academics and scholars to take advantage of the ITEC and e-ITEC programs, and to take advantage of the PhD scholarships offered to Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) students of IITs.
