New Delhi [India], July 6 (ANI): India and Philippines on Tuesday decided to elevate their ties to a Strategic Partnership with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr agreeing for expeditious conclusion of the negotiations of the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between India and the Philippines for further promotion of mutual trade.

The two countries agreed to enhance defence cooperation with President Marcos thanking PM Modi for cooperation in the area of defence industry and export of platforms including the BrahMos.

In a veiled reference to China, the two countries expressed concern for the situation in the South China Sea particularly with regard to coercive and aggressive actions that impact on regional peace and stability, and called on relevant parties to exercise self- restraint and commit to peaceful and constructive means to resolve and manage disputes.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr, who is on a five-day State visit to India, arrived in the national capital on Monday.

The two countries underscored that the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea is a significant milestone and the basis for peacefully resolving disputes in accordance with international law.

India and Philippines reaffirmed full respect and adherence to international law, particularly on the rights and obligations of States under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and its dispute settlement mechanisms, including on the geographic and substantive limits of maritime entitlements, the duty to protect and preserve the marine environment, as well as reaffirming the freedom of navigation and overflight, and the importance of unimpeded commerce based on the principles of international law, as reflected notably in UNCLOS.

In 2016, the arbitral tribunal adjudicating the Philippines' case against China in the South China Sea had ruled overwhelmingly in favour of the Philippines.

Declaration on the Establishment of a Strategic Partnership between India and Philippines was issued after talks between PM Modi and President Marcos.

The two leaders agreed that the Strategic Partnership marks a new chapter towards realising the full potential for bilateral, regional and international cooperation between the two countries.

The Strategic Partnership is based on a mutual commitment to strengthen bilateral relations for the continuing peace, stability and prosperity of the two countries and the broader region, and serves as a foundation for the two countries to chart a future-oriented mutually-beneficial cooperation;

The India-Philippines Strategic Partnership is guided by the Plan of Action (2025-2029) adopted by the two countries on August 5, 2025.

India and Philippines also agreed to cooperate closely in multilateral and regional forums, including in the United Nations and its specialized agencies, on global issues of mutual concern and interest, such as rule of law in the global commons, counter-terrorism, climate change and sustainable development. Actively supporting the reform and expansion of the United Nations Security Council, both in permanent and non-permanent categories of membership, through text-based negotiations;

Reaffirming shared commitment to free, open, transparent and rules-based trading system, both countries underscored the need to work together under bilateral, regional, and multilateral platforms to strengthen supply chains, promote trade facilitation, and ensure that trade contributes to their economic development.

In his opening remarks during the bilateral meeting, PM Narendra Modi said 'it is a historic day for our bilateral relations'.

'We are taking India to the levels of a strategic partnership. This will give our relationship a new speed and depth, and give strength to our relationship in the Defence and Security Sector. In the last few years, there has been progress in our relations in all sectors- trade, defence, maritime, health, security, food security, development partnership, and people-to-people ties. It is a matter of great happiness that we are setting a plan of action for the next five years. Till July 2027, the Philippines is India's country coordinator. In 2026, you will preside over the ASEAN Chair,' he said

The two countries exchanged MoUs in a range of areas including cooperation in peaceful use of outer space and use of digital technologies.

At a special media briefing, P Kumaran, Secretary (East) said there was a discussion on defence cooperation.

'President Marcos thanked the Prime Minister for cooperation in the area of defence industry, the export of defence platforms to India, including the BrahMos. He also called for greater cooperation in the area of the defence industry... As part of our broader defence cooperation, we were talking about capacity building, joint exercises, joint cooperative maritime activities, exchange of training programs between our officials and all standard elements that we talk about when it comes to defence cooperation... We talk about more opportunities for India to export our defence platforms. I think we have indeed exported a number of defence hardware platforms to many, many countries. The Philippines certainly showed interest in working with us to explore opportunities for more defence platforms,' he said.

'We're also talking about ship visits, cooperation as part of multilateral formats... We are also talking about enhanced cooperation between our coast guards. So basically aimed at sharing best practices, enhancing maritime domain awareness on both sides, talking about enhancing interoperability, working together to enhance our disaster response readiness in the coming years and so on... We highlighted our capabilities in space and the cost-effectiveness of our space program. President Marcos said he had indeed studied how cost-effective our space program is and they wanted to try and use some of our space technology, space capabilities to effect social transformation in terms of helping predict weather events, helping with agriculture, helping with disaster relief,' Kumaran added.

India and Philippines agreed on facilitating the regular convening of institutional mechanisms including the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) and Joint Defence Industry and Logistics Committee (JDILC) for dialogue on defence cooperation, with emphasis on defence industrial collaboration, defence technology, research, training, exchanges, and capacity building.

The two countries agreed on institutionalising military training activities between the two countries and Service-to-Service interactions, with increased focus on tri-service cooperation and recognizing the vital role of the seas and oceans in achieving development needs of the two countries, rights and freedoms as coastal states, developing economies, and maritime nations of the Indo-Pacific region. (ANI)