Indian foreign minister to visit PH next week to discuss trade, tourism

Philippine and Indian flags | INQUIRER.net stock images

MANILA, Philippines — India’s Minister for External Affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, will return to the Philippines next week for a two-day working visit, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Saturday.

He will be in the country from March 25 to 27 as part of his three-country Southeast Asia tour, which also includes Singapore and Malaysia.

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Jaishankar first visited the country in February 2022.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Indian foreign minister is set to meet with Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo to discuss the advancement of trade and tourism between the two countries.

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Their meeting will also focus on “defense and maritime cooperation, food security, development, healthcare, and financial technology cooperation,” it said in a statement.

The agency noted that India is the Philippines’ 15th trading partner and 13th export market, with total bilateral trade surpassing three billion USD last year.