MANILA and New Delhi have agreed to boost naval and coast guard cooperation following the first maritime dialogue between the two countries Monday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
The DFA said this is one of the areas agreed upon during the inaugural Track 1 Maritime Dialogue held in Manila that identified areas for cooperation between the Philippines and India.
It said that Manila and New Delhi agreed to work on “joint projects in maritime law enforcement, disaster response and environmental protection, while exploring partnerships between their navies and coast guards.”
“They also reached an understanding to look further into navy and coast guard cooperation, hydrography cooperation, and sister port arrangements, among others,” the DFA added.
The two also agreed to share best practices in maritime capability building and other related initiatives.
Though India does not have a land border with the Philippines, Manila considers it as a like-minded country when it comes to upholding a rules-based international order, especially on maritime laws and regulations, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS.
India supported the Philippines’ stance regarding the maritime dispute with China in the South China Sea and has called for a peaceful resolution to the issue.
Manila sued Beijing in 2013 before the Permanent Court of Arbitration under the aegis of UNCLOS but the latter refused to honor or abide by the 2016 arbitral ruling invalidating its massive claim in the disputed waters.
“They underscored the importance of respecting the rights, and freedoms of all States, including of navigation and overflight, as well as strictly abiding by the geographical and substantive limits of maritime entitlements of coastal States,” the DFA added, referring to the position of Manila and New Delhi on the issue.
During his visit to Manila last March, Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar reiterated his country’s support for the Philippines regarding its territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
India is also seeking to supply the Philippine Navy and Philippine Coast Guard with vessels and other equipment.
New Delhi earlier delivered Brahmos supersonic missile batteries to the Philippine Navy as part of the latter’s modernization program.
Meanwhile, trade figures from India’s Department of Commerce showed that trade between the two countries have increased from $1.89 billion in 2015 to $3.05 billion in 2023.
RAA
The Armed Forces is looking forward to holding territorial defense exercises with Japan following the Senate’s ratification of the Reciprocal Access Agreement between Philippines and Japan.
“We are looking at of course more interoperability exercises similar to what we are doing with `Balikatan’ exercises (and) `Salaknib’ exercises,” said AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla in a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo yesterday.
The Balikatan and Salaknib exercises are among the many annual military exercises that the Philippine military hold with United States. These exercises are held under the Mutual Defense Treaty and the Visiting Forces Agreement between the two countries.
“We’ll have more of those and look at other scenarios that we can address as well,” said Padilla.
Padilla said the exercises that the AFP is eyeing to conduct with Japan will not be limited to territorial defense only.
She said these exercises will be “all encompassing,” noting that these will also include humanitarian assistance and disaster response exercises.
Department of National Defense spokesman Arsenio Andolong said the RAA will “heighten our defense and security cooperation” with Japan.
Andolong said the agreement will also “enhance the operability” between the AFP and the Japan Self-Defense Force, through the conduct of “more in-depth practical cooperative activities/exercises.”
“The RAA is set to be approved by the Japanese government’s National Diet, in accordance with Japan’s domestic legal process, to render it valid and binding upon both our countries,” said Andolong.
He said the defense department is looking forward to the implementation of the agreement, which he said “will enable our militaries to expand our defense cooperation and build trust and confidence amongst each other amid shared security challenges.”
Andolong said “collaborative partnerships” with like-minded nations are “essential as we continue to fortify our own defense capabilities.”
“The RAA with Japan is a testament to the Philippines’ unequivocal commitment to peace, security, and stability of the Indo-Pacific region,” said Andolong. – With Victor Reyes
