India and Philippines exchange nine MoUs across sectors including Defence, Digital technology, Space, maritime co-operation, tourism and cultural exchange

India and the Philippines today exchanged nine MoUs in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Philippines President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. The MoUs include Strategic Partnership between the India and Philippines, Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matter, Defence, Science and Technology among others.
Addressing the media, the Prime Minister Modi said that the visit of the Philippines President holds special significance as India and the Philippines are celebrating the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. He said that the connections between the two countries date back to ancient times. He also expressed gratitude to the Philippines Government and the President for strongly condemning Pahalgam attack and standing with India in its fight against terrorism.
Mr Modi said that Under the Development Partnership, India will increase the number of Quick Impact Projects in the Philippines. He also said that India will also cooperate in the development of sovereign data cloud infrastructure in the Philippines. The Prime Minister said, the bilateral trade between the two countries is increasing continuously and has crossed the figure of 3 Billion dollars. He added that it will be the priority to complete the review of India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement at the earliest.
Philippines President, Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. thanked the Indian Government for the hospitality. He said that both India and Philippines have agreed to level up collaborations in Defence and Security. He also expressed satisfaction over the rapid pace of the ongoing Philippines Defence Modernisation partnered by India’s Indigenous Defence industry.