India, Philippines to step up defence ties

livemint.com:

NEW DELHI : India and the Philippines are looking to step up defence ties after the Southeast Asian nation’s high-profile purchase of a BrahMos missile. Negotiations on a defence line of credit have picked up, according to persons aware of the matter.

While the exact quantum of assistance being offered is under negotiation, officials from the Philippines have visited a number of Indian defence firms including Kalyani Strategic Systems to examine their products. Replies to a query mailed to the company were awaited.

The offer of a line of credit, which was first made by India in 2018, was reiterated during a June meeting between foreign ministers S. Jaishankar and Enrique Manalo.

“On defence cooperation, both ministers expressed keen interest to continue to work together in this sector, including through the regular or upgraded official level interaction among defence agencies, opening of the resident defence attaché office in Manila, consideration of India’s offer for concessional line of credit to meet Philippines’ defence requirements, acquisition of naval assets, and expansion of training and joint exercises on maritime security and disaster response, among others," reads a joint statement released after the two foreign ministers met. Beyond equipment, India has also offered assistance in hydrography and maritime affairs.

“Acknowledging the growing importance of the maritime sector for both countries, both Ministers welcomed the bilateral Maritime Dialogue and the increased cooperation on hydrography," reads the same joint statement. “Both Ministers emphasized the utility of maritime domain awareness, and in this context called for early operationalization of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the White