Marcos talks about maintaining peace as he meets a minister from India

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (Photo from Acayan/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said India and the Philippines can work together to improve peacekeeping efforts.

According to a Presidential Communications Office statement on Wednesday, Marcos welcomed Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to Malacañang in a courtesy call.

“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 President said.

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Marcos told Jaishankar that India and the Philippines had common interests in maintaining peace in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Philippines has been embroiled in growing tensions with China over the West Philippine Sea.

Despite the area being within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, China has claimed most of the territories in the disputed sea.

Jaishankar reiterated India’s support for the Philippines in the row with China.

READ: India backs PH in upholding sovereignty in WPS

“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.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 ruled that the West Philippine Sea belongs to the Philippines.

China has repeatedly ignored this ruling, claiming that its ownership of the sea is rooted in history.