The Philippines and India have agreed to strengthen and deepen their bilateral defense relations, the Department of National Defense said Monday.

DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said the agreement came after Defense chief Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. recently met with Indian Minister of External Affairs, Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, at the sideline of the Indian diplomat’s official visit to the Philippines.

Andolong said Teodoro and Jaishankar had a high-level meeting that focused on both countries’ commitment to upholding a rules-based international order and promoting peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region.

Jaishankar reaffirmed India’s unwavering support for the Philippines’ position regarding concerns and issues about the West Philippine Sea.

Teodoro, likewise, acknowledged India’s huge contributions to the Philippines’ continuous efforts to develop a credible defense posture.

India has been a crucial partner of the country in the implementation of the modernization programs of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

“In pursuing deeper defense and military relations, both officials agreed to convene multi-level dialogue mechanisms, conduct practical cooperative activities focused on capability development, and increase education and training exchanges,” Andolong told reporters.

He noted that both sides also agreed to promote collaboration among defense industries, enhance mobility and logistics cooperation, as well as explore investments in emerging technologies, cooperation on space domain awareness, and potential partnership on joint research and development.

In his remarks, Jaishankar underscored the need to enhance closer cooperation with allies, especially in promoting maritime domain awareness to address common security challenges in the region.

He also shared the best practices of India’s Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region in advancing regional maritime safety through information sharing and collaboration among member countries.

Teodoro, who also chairs the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, highlighted the possibility of cooperation between the Philippines and India on climate change mitigation to help secure vulnerable internal and external supply chains.