MANILA – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has told Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar that Philippines and India can work together to improve peacekeeping efforts.
In a statement released by the Presidential Communications Office on Wednesday, President Marcos made the proposal to Jaishankar during the latter’s courtesy call at the Malacañang Palace on Tuesday.
“We have many shared interests, primary of, that is to maintain the peace in our areas and so this is a concern now, not only of India or of the Philippines alone, but the entire world,” Marcos told Jaishankar.
“So, whatever it is that we can do to make the situation better, in partnership with India, which certainly will be an important development for us,” the Chief Executive added.
Jaishankar, for his part, reiterated to Marcos India’s support for the Philippines in their long standing sea dispute with China over the West Philippine Sea.
“If you want a country, which actually says will accept the judgment even if it goes against us, we are actually a natural candidate. So, we can be on your ship,” Jaishankar told Marcos.
In 2016, the Philippines was awarded the arbitral ruling that denied the nine-dash line, the basis of China’s historical claims over the islands and waters in the entire South China Sea, including the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of neighboring Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam.
China, however, rejected the ruling and maintained an aggressive stance in the region, even firing water cannons at Philippine vessels taking humanitarian supplies to a military outpost at the Ayungin Shoal./PN
