India and Philippines cooperation in defence and marine sectors

New Delhi/Manila – Indian Minister of External Affairs’ visit to the Philippines, which has purchased BrahMos missiles from India to augment its naval strength, becomes significant. During the visit of Indian MEA S Jaishankar, both the countries agreed on cooperation in various other fronts along with the Indo-pacific sector. Considering the threat posed by the Chinese hegemonic activities, this cooperation between the Philippines and India becomes strategically important.

A few days ago, the Philippines signed the agreement to purchase BrahMos missiles from India. This agreement worth nearly $380 million is considered important for Filipino security. The country’s Defence Minister expressed confidence that the BrahMos missiles would increase the capabilities of the Philippines Navy. After that, it was claimed that even the Philippine army wanted to use BrahMos missiles. Against this background, the visit of Indian MEA Jaishankar drew the attention of the analysts.

All the details regarding the visit have not been revealed. But the Foreign Ministry informed that both the countries have concurred on cooperation in the Indo-Pacific sector. Foreign Ministers of both the countries expressed the resolve to increase the scope of cooperation between the two countries. The Foreign Ministers expressed willingness to open new chambers of cooperation between the two counties. These include space, cyber security, economy linked to the marine sector, renewable energy and fintech, which coordinates economics and technology.

Along with this, Indian Minister of External Affairs Jaishankar and Philippine Foreign Minister Teodoro L Locsin Jr exchanged views on regional and international developments. Foreign Ministers of both the countries also agreed on cooperation in the defence, economics and agriculture sectors. This cooperation between India and the Philippines has huge strategic importance and China is closely watching the developments. The Philippines, Vietnam and other countries from the South East Asian region are keen on making the cooperation with India more comprehensive. Following the Philippines, even Vietnam is preparing to buy BrahMos missiles from India. Analyst Richard Heydarian had recently expressed confidence that this matter would be a game-changer for Indian weapons exports.