New Delhi [India], August 5 (ANI): India and the Philippines have agreed to strengthen their growing defence partnership with a particular emphasis on defence industry collaboration, maritime security, and strategic cooperation in emerging areas such as space, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Tuesday.
During a special press briefing marking the state visit of Philippines President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to India, MEA Secretary (East) Periasamy Kumaran stated that President Marcos acknowledged India’s support in defence, including the export of Indian defence platforms like the BrahMos missile system, and expressed interest in boosting cooperation in defence manufacturing.
Talks also focused on enhancing joint military training, improving interoperability between the armed forces, expanding joint defence production, and sharing defence technology. India also expressed interest in further exporting its defence equipment to the Philippines.
“President Marcos thanked the Prime Minister for cooperation in the area of the defence industry and the export of Indian platforms, including the BrahMos. He also called for greater cooperation in the area of the defence industry,” Kumaran said.
“In addition, as part of our broader defence cooperation, we discussed capacity building, joint exercises, cooperative maritime activities, and the exchange of training programmes. The Philippines showed interest in exploring opportunities for more Indian defence platforms. We are also talking about enhanced cooperation between our coast guards to share best practices and improve maritime domain awareness on both sides,” he added.
Recognising the Philippines’ distinct archipelagic defence requirements, the MEA noted that Indian platforms, particularly suited for coastal and maritime missions, align well with Manila’s evolving defence doctrine.
Space was also a key area of collaboration. India showcased the cost-effectiveness and technological strength of its space programme, offering support to the Philippines in launching satellites and developing indigenous space capabilities. The Philippines expressed strong interest in using India’s space technologies for weather prediction, agriculture, disaster response, and other social development needs.
“The Philippines is a country of about 7,600 islands. Their defence concept is about archipelagic defence. Their doctrine and the platforms needed to support that strategy would naturally align with Indian offerings,” Kumaran explained. “They also expressed interest in using our space technologies for social transformation—predicting weather events, enhancing agriculture, disaster relief—and we are open to helping with launching their satellites and developing them locally.”
Following the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Marcos, the two nations released a Joint Declaration on the “Establishment of a Strategic Partnership,” reaffirming their commitment to the peaceful and sustainable use of ocean resources and emphasizing cooperation in maritime security.
The joint statement highlighted cooperation in shipbuilding, hydrographic surveys, coastal surveillance, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and joint search and rescue operations. The two sides agreed to enhance participation in multilateral maritime exercises such as the ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise, India’s Exercise MILAN, and the Philippines’ Maritime Cooperative Activities.
Both countries also agreed to co-develop and co-produce defence equipment to promote self-reliance in defence manufacturing.
Cybersecurity emerged as another important domain, with both sides committing to deepening cooperation in digital security, including policy dialogues, digital public infrastructure development, cybersecurity capacity building, and the protection of critical information infrastructure.
The joint statement reaffirmed continued engagement through institutional mechanisms like the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) and the Joint Defence Industry and Logistics Committee (JDILC). India and the Philippines also vowed to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation, with the Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism focusing on issues such as terror financing, organised crime, human trafficking, and the misuse of emerging technologies. (ANI)
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