The 4th India- Philippines Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation was held virtually on November 6. The meeting was co- chaired by India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Teodoro Locsin Jr, Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Philippines.
Key Points of 4th India-Philippines Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation
The major points and areas on which discussions were done under the meeting were-
- Discussions were done on various topics of mutual interest. Both the sides reviewed the latest developments in India-Philippines bilateral relations and also on the future trajectory of the relations. Both the country’s reiterated their commitment to fight against shared challenges, majorly in health sector because of the prevailing conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Both the co-chairs agreed to make the defence engagement and maritime cooperation between the two countries stronger with major focus in areas of capacity building, military training and education, procurement of defence equipment and goodwill visits.
- Both the countries agreed to increase cooperation to counter-terrorism through information exchange between respective agencies and specialized training requirements.
- Both the co-chairs agreed on expanding the trade and investment links between both the counties. They further agreed to strengthen cooperation in the areas of tourism, agriculture, energy, health and pharmaceuticals, science & technology, space, cyber-security, traditional medicine and ICT.
- While appreciating the educational opportunities provided to Indian students in Philippines, Jaishankar reaffirmed India’s capacity building and development assistance to the Philippines. He also invited Filipino students for availing the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) and e-ITEC initiatives, and to use integrated PhD Fellowships offered at IITs to ASEAN students.
- Both the countries agreed to work on making the visa process between India and Philippines more simplified in order to expand student exchange, tourism, trade and investment.
- Both the co-chairs re-confirmed that they are committed to a multifaceted partnership in line with India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and the ASEAN’s Outlook on Indo-Pacific with an aim to achieve shared security, growth and prosperity in the region.
Jaishankar tweeted about the meeting and its focus. This meeting will take forward the cooperation between the two countries in the areas like trade, investment, education, information technology, defence, etc.
About India- Philippines Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation
The first-ever Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation of India- Philippines was held on March 15, 2011. Since then, the foreign ministers of both the countries meet after every 2 years to discuss the matters of mutual cooperation.