India's foreign minister to visit PH Feb. 13: DFA


MANILA – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday said Indian Minister of External Affairs Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will be in the Philippines from February 13 to 15 for a working visit.

He is set to meet Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. to discuss the current and future directions of Philippine-India relations, including health and security cooperation, as well as other regional and global matters of mutual interest.

"Minister Jaishankar’s visit is considered an affirmation of the commitment between the Philippines and India to further their relations in a post-Covid world," the DFA said in a statement.

The two top diplomats are expected to review developments in bilateral relations since the meeting of the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation that they co-chaired in virtual format in November 2020.

Among the subjects discussed back then were ways to address the global health crisis, cooperation in health and pharmaceuticals, and economic revitalization in the fields of agriculture, energy, and information and communications technology.

Also discussed were potential cooperation in maritime security, intelligence-sharing, military training, procurement and logistics, combatting terrorism, expanding air linkages and tourism, supporting growing educational and student exchanges, and in the promising areas of alternative and traditional medicine, vaccine development, and renewable energy.

Apart from meeting Filipino leaders, Jaishankar would visit the Indian community in Manila during his trip. (PNA)

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