"India becomes 5th strategic partner for Philippines," Philippines President Marcos

New Delhi [India], August 5 (ANI): Philippines President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr, while addressing a joint press meeting in the national capital on Tuesday, said that India has become the fifth strategic partner for the Philippines.
Marcos said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he have agreed to cooperate further in the defence and security sector.

Addressing the press meet with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of Philippines. @bongbongmarcos https://t.co/40lBhK8Rzr

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 5, 2025

"Today, India becomes only the fifth strategic partner for the Philippines. This new apex attests as much to the remarkably rapid growth, broadening and deepening of our 75-year-old bilateral relationship, the possibilities represented by the strong upward trajectory of our true economies as it does to the growing alignment of our interests and views on the challenges and imperatives of our time," he said.
"This was also the auspicious context in which Prime Minister Modi and I engaged in far-reaching, productive and forward-looking discussions this past hour. We agreed to continue levelling up our collaboration in defence and security," he added.
Marcos said that the Philippines was satisfied with the defence modernisation alongwith India's Brahmos project.
"We express satisfaction over the rapid pace of the Philippines ongoing defense modernization and the expanding capabilities and footprint of India's indigenous defense industry as a partner in this undertaking exemplified by our Brahmos project. We concurred that we should be accompanied with intensified dialogue and exchanges between our defense establishments," he said.
The Philippines and India also agreed to establish mechanisms for training among their militaries.
"So we have agreed to establish mechanisms for service-to-service talks for information sharing and training exchanges amongst our militaries. We will foster naval and coast guard interoperability via port calls in cooperative activities and capacity building in the maritime domain," the Philippines President said.
Marcos further felicitated PM Modi's undertaking to make India a developed nation (Viksit Bharat) by 2047.
"Despite these challenges, I also bear felicitations on India's remarkable transformation and inexurable march to become Viksit Bharat by 2047 under Prime Minister Modi's guiding hand," he said.
The Philippines' President said that the visit is a crucial one because on this day, the two leaders formally launched the strategic partnership between the Philippines and India.
"I come at a crucial juncture in our bilateral partnership. Today, our relationship enters a new epoch as Prime Minister Modi and I formally launched the strategic partnership between Philippines and India. For the Philippines, this is a momentous decision for we take a very considered path to such elevated partnerships. It is but fitting to begin with words of profound gratitude. Thank you, Excellency, our friend and host, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, for receiving us so graciously and hospitably on this state visit. It is my great pleasure to be in India," he said.
Marcos said that the two leaders, in a bid to expand economic partnership, have decided to work towards forging a bilateral trade agreement.
"The economic sphere has been a steady engine driving our ties for seven plus decades. True to our strategic partnership. Prime Minister Modi and I have charged our economic teams to shepherd our commerce now at USD 3.3 billion in the last year towards a continued upward trajectory and expanded baskets of goods. To this end, we have decided to expedite the work that we are doing to forge a bilateral preferential trade agreement," he said.
"We looked at leveraging mutual opportunities to boost two-way investment. Our fast growing innovated private enterprises will play an important role in our common march towards progress and development, facilitating innovation, technology transfer, and upskilling and generating employment for our people," he added.
Marcos said that this visit made him the fifth President of the Philippines to visit India, following his father's footstep, who was the first President of the Philippines to visit India.
"This sojourn makes me the fifth Philippine president to undertake a visit to this great country and indeed in the footsteps of my very own father who was the first Philippine president to visit India in 1976," he said.
The President acknowledged that both nations have always been bridged by civilizational ties.
"For over a millennium, civilizational, cultural, and people-to-people ties have bridged our geographic distance. They will continue to be the enduring foundation of our friendship, and we will enact policies to make this is to make sure that this is so," he said.
Marcos also condemned the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir in which 26 civilians were killed.
"As emissaries of our people, I bring with me the enduring friendship of the Filipino nation. I carry the message of our solidarity with India both over the tragic attack in Pahalgam earlier this year and in the broader fight against terrorism," he said.
The Philippines' President is visiting India from August 4-8. (ANI)