NEW DELHI: In a bid to expand business, tourism and student exchange, India and Phillipines have agreed that there is a need for a simplified visa regime between the two countries.
The Minister of External Affairs, Dr S Jaishankar, also sought the help of the Phillipine government to facilitate the early return of Indian medical students to the country. Phillipines is an attractive, low-cost destination for students aspiring to study medicine. There are close to 10,000 Indian students studying medicine in the Phillipines.
Dr Jaishankar and his counterpart in Phillipines Teddy Loscin Jr discussed and agreed to further work on strengthening engagement in counter-terrorism and defence and maritime security, covering defence capabilities as well as military training and capacity building.
They also agreed to make efforts to further expand economic cooperation as well as trade and investment links in a range of areas such as agriculture, infrastructure, health and pharmaceuticals, tourism, ICT, and science & technology.
India-Phillipines trade in 2018-19 has been around $2.32 billion. Exports from India to Phillipines are worth $1,743 million and imports to India from Phillipines are worth $581 million
The two countries are cooperating in emerging areas such as fintech, blue economy, renewable energy, space, cyber security and traditional medicine.
Meanwhile, Dr Jaishankar also met with the secretaries of defence, finance and agriculture.
He also interacted with the Indian community in Manila and appreciated their role in promoting friendship and bridging the gap between people of the two nations.