India, Philippines to review defence ties months after New Delhi supplies Brahmos missiles to Filipino military

New Delhi, Sep 10 (PTI) India and the Philippines will carry out a comprehensive review of their defence and strategic partnership with a focus on ramping up military ties against the backdrop of mutual concern over China's aggressive posturing in the South China Sea.

The two sides will deliberate on various issues relating to bilateral defence ties and regional security situation at the fifth meeting of India-Philippines joint defence cooperation committee to be held in Manila, officials said.

The defence ties between the two countries have been on a significant upswing in the last few years.

In April, India delivered the first batch of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines, in reflection of the growing military ties.

The supplies came over two years India signed a USD 375 million deal with the Southeast Asian nation to supply the weapon systems.

While Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane will lead the Indian delegation at the talks, the Filipino team will be headed by Senior Under Secretary in the Ministry of National Defence Irineo Cruz Espino.

The meeting is taking place amid increasing tensions between China and the Philippines following an incident of violent clash between their maritime security personnel in the South China Sea nearly two-and-half months ago.

"During the visit, the defence secretary will discuss ways to further consolidate defence cooperation between the two countries," an official readout said.

The situation in the South China Sea will figure in the talks, officials said.

There have been growing global concerns over China's sweeping claims of sovereignty over all of the South China Sea, a huge source of hydrocarbons.

Several countries in the region including Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei, have counterclaims.

India and many other democratic countries have been pressing for peaceful settlement of the disputes and for adherence to international law, especially the UNCLOS (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea).

"Both the countries have a vigorous and multifaceted relationship which have expanded into several strategic areas, including defence and security," the defence ministry said in a statement.

"They are committed to support each other towards achieving the goal of self-reliance in defence production," it said.

In a related development, the 14th India-Philippines policy consultation talks and fifth strategic dialogue were held in Delhi on Monday.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said both sides undertook a comprehensive review of bilateral ties and agreed to enhance cooperation in areas of defence and security, the maritime domain, trade and investment, healthcare, education, energy, digital and financial technology, space and connectivity.

Both sides exchanged perspectives on regional and global issues of mutual interest, it said.

The Indian delegation was led by Jaideep Mazumdar, Secretary (East) in the MEA. The Philippines team was headed by Theresa P Lazaro, undersecretary for bilateral relations and ASEAN Affairs at the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines. PTI MPB ZMN