Vizag youth to represent India at Taiwan International Ocean Forum
Organised by the Ocean Affairs Council, Government of Taiwan, the forum will host experts, scholars, and policymakers from around the world to deliberate on the theme: 'Maritime Security and Blue Economy.' Among the various sessions, Mr. Bhavesh Jain has been invited to speak in Session VI, a high-impact dialogue titled: 'Special Session – The Youth Generation: Key to a Harmonious and Sustainable Future.'
A national awardee of the Young India Challenge and honoured as the State Best NSS volunteer of A.P., Mr. Bhavesh Jain is known for his work in youth leadership and social responsibility. At the upcoming forum, he will join youth delegates from Japan, the Philippines, and Taiwan to share insights on how young leaders can drive global cooperation and sustainability.
The forum will feature multiple sessions on critical maritime topics, including Indo-Pacific security, ocean governance, ESG integration, and sustainable marine industry development. With global challenges such as climate change and marine resource management taking centre stage, this platform aims to promote innovative solutions and cross-border collaboration.
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Economic Times
an hour ago
- Economic Times
India & Philippines ink strategic partnership with focus on defence
Synopsis India and the Philippines have elevated their relationship to a strategic partnership, as announced during President Ferdinand Marcos' visit. Prime Minister Modi emphasized their shared commitment to a rules-based Indo-Pacific region. The Philippines lauded India's defense capabilities, particularly the BrahMos missile system. Both nations aim to enhance maritime cooperation and trade, including a potential preferential trade agreement. AP New Delhi: India and the Philippines on Tuesday agreed to elevate bilateral cooperation to the level of strategic partnership with the visiting President hailing BrahMos missile system that Manila purchased from New Delhi. As the two countries elevated their ties during the visit of Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "India and the Philippines are friends by choice and partners by destiny." The PM said the Philippines is an important partner in India's Act East Policy and 'MAHASAGAR' (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) vision. "We are committed to peace, security, prosperity and a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region. We support freedom of navigation in accordance with international laws," Modi said in a subtle reference to China's role and its territorial claims vis-a-vis Philippines in the South China Sea region. "It is a matter of pleasure that today we have decided to elevate our relations to the status of a strategic partnership. A comprehensive action plan has also been formulated to translate the potential of this partnership into results," he said. Modi said the enhanced defence relations between the two countries are a symbol of deep mutual trust. "Today, when the President is in India, three ships of the Indian Navy are participating in a naval exercise in the Philippines for the first time," he Philippines President hailed India's expanding indigenous defence capabilities, particularly the BrahMos missile project. Addressing a joint press conference, Marcos said the two nations had agreed to strengthen naval and coast guard interoperability through increased port calls, cooperative activities, and maritime capacity building. "We agreed to continue elevating our collaboration in defence and security. We expressed satisfaction over the rapid pace of the Philippines' ongoing defence modernisation and India's expanding indigenous defence capabilities - exemplified by our BrahMos project," he said. Ahead of the visit, General Romeo Brawner, Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, confirmed that Manila is eyeing more defence purchases from India. Philippines is the first foreign buyer of the BrahMos missile system jointly developed by India and Russia. Marcos expressed full solidarity with India over the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and lauded India's progress under PM Modi's leadership. Modi said, "As maritime nations, maritime cooperation between the two countries is both natural and essential. We have been working together in humanitarian aid, disaster relief, search and rescue." He said under the development partnership, India will increase the number of Quick Impact Projects in the Philippines and will also cooperate in the development of sovereign data cloud infrastructure. The Prime Minister said the trade between the two countries was increasing in a sustained manner and crossed $3 billion. "To further strengthen trade ties, it is our priority to review the India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement at the earliest. We have also decided to work towards a bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement," he said. Modi said Indian companies are active in the sectors of information and digital technology, health, automobiles, infrastructure, and minerals. In the sector of science and technology, joint research is going on in areas from virology to artificial intelligence and additive manufacturing, he added Later, addressing the media, Secretary (East) MEA Periasamy Kumaran said Modi and Marcos adopted the plan of action for the period of 2025 to 2029 to guide cooperation. Kumaran highlighted that 14 MOUs across various sectors were concluded and exchanged between India and the Philippines. He added that these agreements include mutual legal assistance treaty in criminal matters, a treaty on transfer of sentenced persons, terms of reference on negotiations for the India Philippines preferential trade agreement, terms of reference for service, staff talks, army, air force and navy, enhanced cooperation between coast guards.
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
India, Philippines focus on trade, security, elevate ties to strategic partnership
NEW DELHI: India and the Philippines focused on enhancing cooperation in trade, defence and connectivity as they elevated their relations to a strategic partnership on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr pledging to work together to uphold a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific region. Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr during meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. (Hindustan Times/Arvind Yadav) Marcos, who is in India with a delegation that includes 14 cabinet ministers, met PM Modi for wide-ranging talks that encompassed defence and security, trade and investment, healthcare, digital transformation, space and connectivity, even as warships from India and the Philippines conducted a joint exercise in the South China Sea. The two sides concluded a five-year plan of action to take forward the strategic partnership, and finalised 14 agreements, including three pacts to enhance dialogue between their armed forces, a treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and an MoU for cooperation in digital technologies. 'I'm happy to share that we have decided to upgrade our ties to a strategic partnership. We have also prepared a detailed action plan to turn this partnership's potential into outcomes,' Modi said at a joint media interaction with Marcos, speaking in Hindi. Marcos noted the launch of the strategic partnership is a 'momentous decision' since India is only the fifth strategic partner for the Philippines. This decision points to the 'possibilities represented by the strong upward trajectory of our two economies [and] the growing alignment of our interests and views on the challenges and imperatives of our time', he said. Both leaders focused on growing defence cooperation between the two sides, including the supply of Indian military hardware to the Philippines. In 2022, the Philippines became the first foreign customer for the BrahMos cruise missile, developed jointly by India and Russia, finalising a $ 375 million deal for three batteries. 'Our strengthening defence ties are a symbol of the deep mutual trust between our two countries. As maritime nations, cooperation in the maritime domain is both natural and essential,' Modi said. 'Today, as the President is visiting India, three Indian naval ships are, for the very first time, participating in a naval exercise in the Philippines.' Marcos described India as a key partner in the defence modernisation of the Philippines and added: 'We agreed to continue levelling up our collaboration in defence and security.' As part of efforts to enhance dialogue and exchanges between the defence establishments, the two sides will establish mechanisms for service-to-service talks, information-sharing and training exchanges. The Philippines will post a liaison officer at the Indian Navy's Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region, a key regional centre for maritime domain awareness and tracking shipping in regional waters to counter illegal activities and terrorism. The joint declaration on the strategic partnership stated that the two sides will promote coordination between maritime authorities and law enforcement, share intelligence and technical support, and bolster joint efforts to combat terrorism, violent extremism, terrorist financing, and transnational organised crimes. They will also cooperate in ship-building, maritime connectivity and coastal surveillance, it said. Modi thanked Marcos for strongly condemning the Pahalgam terror attack and for standing with India in the fight against terrorism. He added that the agreements signed on Tuesday for mutual legal assistance and transfer of sentenced persons will strengthen the bilateral security partnership. Marcos expressed solidarity for India over the 'tragic attack in Pahangam' and the broader fight against terrorism. The situation in the South China Sea and the broader Indo-Pacific figured prominently in the talks between the two leaders, who resolved to step up efforts to ensure that the region remains free and open. Even as the two leaders were holding talks in New Delhi, China was irked by the joint naval exercise between India and the Philippines, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun ruling out interference by any 'third party' in the disputes in the South China Sea. 'The Philippines is an important partner in our Act East policy and the MAHASAGAR vision. We remain committed to peace, security, prosperity and a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific. We support freedom of navigation in accordance with international law,' Modi said. Against the backdrop of the Philippines' differences with China in the South China Sea, Marcos thanked India for its support for the peaceful settlement of disputes in line with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 arbitration award that favoured Manila. 'We recognise India's influence as a first responder…in this critical area and we want to work with you for a free and open Indo-Pacific,' he said, adding that the two sides will work together on shared concerns such as the rule of law, supply chain resilience, food security, and countering terror and non-traditional threats. 'We both have high stakes in the future of our Indo-Pacific region and in the world. The Philippines-India strategic partnership will doubtless resonate beyond the confines of our bilateral relationship,' Marcos said in an apparent reference to China. The two sides also discussed measures to boost two-way trade from the current level of $3.3 billion, including the early completion of a review of the Asean-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) and the launch of negotiations for a bilateral preferential trade agreement. There were discussions on expanding the range of products for trade, increasing market access for Indian goods and linking digital payment systems, P Kumaran, secretary (East) in the external affairs ministry, told a media briefing. India is interested in opening up the services sector and offering consultancy for oil and gas, while Marcos invited Indian investments for developing upstream oil and gas assets, he said. The 14 agreements finalised by the two sides covered terms of reference for staff talks between the armed forces of India and the Philippines, enhanced maritime cooperation between the Coast Guard forces, mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, transfer of sentenced persons, and cooperation in science and technology, tourism, digital technologies, peaceful uses of outer space, and cultural exchanges. India will support a pilot project for setting up the Philippines' Sovereign Data Cloud Infrastructure and offer free e-tourist visas to Filipino nationals for one year, starting from August 2025. Meanwhile, the Philippines side reiterated visa-free entry privileges for Indians. The two sides will also resume direct flights between New Delhi and Manila in October, Kumaran said.
News18
7 hours ago
- News18
News18 Evening Digest: Uttarakhand Cloudburst, US Tariffs On India & Other Top Stories
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