Indian foreign minister to visit Phl

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

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

He first visited the country in February 2022.

Jaishankar will meet with DFA Secretary Enrique A. Manalo.

The DFA said the meeting will focus on “defense and maritime cooperation, food security, development, healthcare and financial technology cooperation.”

“India is the Philippines 15th trading partner and 13th export market, with total bilateral trade surpassing three (3) billion USD in 2023,” DFA said.