Delhi, Manila ink security deals
Manila and New Delhi signed a raft of security deals aimed at strengthening strategic ties between the nations as they navigate regional tensions across the Asia-Pacific.
President Ferdinand Marcos, on a five-day visit to India, was accorded a red carpet welcome and an honour guard before he met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi yesterday.
The leaders agreed on deals including bolstering ties between their respective armed forces – the army, and air force as well as their navies – with Indian warships currently taking part in patrols of the disputed South China Sea with their Philippine counterparts for the first time.
Over the past year, the Philippines has heightened defence cooperation with a range of allies.
'India and the Philippines are friends by choice and partners by destiny,' Modi told Marcos in a speech.
'From the Indian Ocean to the Pacific, we are untied by shared values.'
Marcos' visit follows the Philippines' acquisition of India's BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system – the first such export by New Delhi – with deliveries beginning in April under a US$375mil deal signed in 2022.
Marcos said the two sides engaged in 'far-reaching, productive and forward-looking' discussions.
'We expressed satisfaction over the rapid pace of the Philippines' ongoing defence modernisation and the expanding capabilities ... of India's indigenous defence industry as a partner in this undertaking, exemplified by our BrahMos project,' he said.
Talks also included setting out the terms of reference for the negotiations on a 'preferential trade agreement' between Manila and New Delhi. — AFP
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