New Delhi, Aug 4 (UNI) Philippines President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr arrived here today on a five-day State visit during which he will have discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on strengthening cooperation in areas including Defence, trade, investment, health, pharmaceuticals, connectivity, agriculture and tourism.
He was received at the airport by Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita. He is the first Philippine President to visit India since 2007. The first Philippine State visit to India was in 2007 by the then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The last State visit of an Indian leader to the Philippines was in 2019 by the then President Ram Nath Kovind.
President Marcos Jr will also call on President Droupadi Murmu and is scheduled to visit Bangalore on August 7-8 to meet business leaders.
External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said India and the Philippines are celebrating 75th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties. This visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi, will lead to further strengthening of bilateral relations.
The two countries are scheduled to sign six agreements for strengthening cooperation in law, culture, science and technology, the Philippine Foreign Office has said. “The areas of cooperation actually are very wide-ranging. But we look forward to expanding them even more,” Philippine Foreign Office official Jimenez-Ducrocq said in a briefing in Malacañang on Friday.
“We have… upwards of six agreements to be concluded,’’ she added.
In his departure statement in Manila, President Marcos said it is ‘’incumbent upon us, now more than ever, to maximize the opportunities in trade and investment with the world’s fourth-largest economy.”
He highlighted the maritime ties between the two countries and emphasized their shared strategic interests and values.
“Our geostrategic position as coastal states that border the busiest international trade routes and critical sea lines of communication in the Indo-Pacific region, our shared interest in protecting the rights and welfare of our international seafarers, our steadfastness in upholding international maritime law, including UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award, and our unwavering commitment to regional peace and cooperation serve as credible foundations of our active and growing maritime cooperation,” he said.
He also hoped that the two countries’ commonalities would lead to a “deeper, broader, and more meaningful” bilateral cooperation that would promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the wider Indo-Pacific region.
The Philippine Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said the areas of cooperation are very wide-ranging. But we look forward to expanding them even more. The PCO said the expansion of maritime cooperation will also be discussed.
“Part of our ongoing relationship with India is in maritime cooperation activities. So we look forward to expanding these, deepening our relationships, and expanding our areas of cooperation,” Jimenez-Ducrocq said.
‘’A number of the companies have already made some investments in the Philippines, and so we’re looking to expand these investments from the same companies or to reach out to new companies,” she said.
