India firmly supports Philippines in upholding its sovereignty: EAM Jaishankar

India firmly supports the Philippines in upholding its national sovereignty and wants to explore new areas of cooperation, including defence and security, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday, amid Manila's maritime dispute with China in the South China Sea.

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Jaishankar's remarks came at a joint press conference with his counterpart, Enrique Manalo, in Manila after their meeting.

"Warm and productive meeting with @SecManalo of the Philippines. Wide-ranging discussion on advancing ties in political, defence, security, and maritime cooperation, trade and investment, infrastructure, development cooperation, education, digital, technology, culture, and consular domains" Jaishankar posted on X.

They also exchanged views on global, regional, and multilateral issues, including the Indo-Pacific, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), West Asia, Ukraine, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the UN.

"As two democracies committed to a rules-based order, we look forward to intensifying our cooperation," he said.

Addressing the press conference with Manalo, Jaishankar said, "I take this opportunity to firmly reiterate India's support for the Philippines in upholding its national sovereignty."

As the world changes, it is essential that countries like India and the Philippines cooperate more closely to shape the emerging order, he said.

Every country has the right to uphold and enforce its national sovereignty, he said in response to a question.

"That is something that we have also discussed," he added.

On a question on India's plans to expand its defence cooperation with the Philippines amid developments in the South China Sea, Jaishankar said, "You need to look at that cooperation on its own merits. It is not necessarily linked to a particular situation.

"But it's natural today that two countries whose trust and comfort are growing so rapidly will look at various new areas of cooperation. And certainly defence and security is one of them," he said.

China claims most of the South China Sea. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan have counterclaims.