Indian Navy ships visit Philippines to boost maritime ties

Four Indian Navy ships will visit the Philippines this month as part of New Delhi's effort to strengthen maritime cooperation with Manila.

Indian Ambassador Shri Harsh Kumar Jain announced at a forum in Makati City on Friday that the visit aims to reinforce bilateral ties and engage in defense-related activities with Filipino counterparts.

Jain highlighted India and the Philippines' shared commitment to maritime security, freedom of navigation, and upholding a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region, emphasizing their 'congruence of interest' on various defense issues.

The envoy also emphasized plans to finalize service-to-service talks across various military branches and expand cooperation to include joint exercises in maritime security and disaster response.

India is prepared to offer advanced defense platforms and support the Philippines' efforts to modernize its armed forces, including areas such as air defense, reconnaissance, and domain awareness.