Marcos congratulates Indian PM Modi on election victory

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday congratulated Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for securing his third consecutive term and achieving his victory in the largest democratic election in India.

In a social media post, Marcos expressed optimism about the future of bilateral relations between the two nations after the Indian Prime Minister's Bharatiya Janata Party secured the majority in parliament.

"My warmest congratulations to Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) for securing a fresh mandate from the Indian electorate," Marcos wrote on X.

"The last decade has shown India as a sincere friend to the Philippines & I look forward to the further strengthening of our bilateral and regional partnership in the years ahead," he added.

The United States, Russia, China, and other nations have already congratulated Modi for his historic third term of office.

Modi has been India's 14th Prime Minister, holding the office since 2014.

In March, Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar assured Marcos that India will uphold Manila's territorial claims in the West Philippine Sea, demonstrating the country's commitment to friendship with the Philippines.

“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 a meeting last March.

China's aggressive maritime development in the West Philippine Sea has forced the Philippines to constantly restate its claim over the waterway, even after an arbitral verdict in 2016 declared the waterways to be Philippine property.