Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Philippines President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr on August 5 was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, after which, he said that this State Visit reaffirms the growing partnership between India and the Philippines. The Philippines President arrived in New Delhi on Monday for a five-day state visit to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Speaking to the reporters, Marcos said, “This visit is the reaffirmation of the alliance and the partnership that we are strengthening. We used to be referred to as the Asia-Pacific region, now we are referred to as the Indo-Pacific region, which is a correct evolution of that understanding because of the global nature of the politics, trade and economy. We are here to build upon what we (India and the Philippines) already have and certainly to explore the many opportunities that have arisen in the past few years because of the new technologies and the changing stake of the global economy and geopolitics around us,” he added.
Following this, the Philippines President paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat. Earlier on August 4, Union Minister of State for External Affairs (MoS) Pabitra Margherita welcomed Ferdinand R Marcos Jr at the airport.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal extended a warm welcome to Ferdinand R Marcos Jr and stated that his visit will further strengthen ties between India and the Philippines. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also called on Philippines President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr, expressing confidence that the visiting leader’s talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday will significantly deepen the ties between the two nations. In a post on X, EAM Jaishankar stated, “Delighted to call on President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr of the Philippines this evening in Delhi at the start of his State Visit. Confident that his talks with PM Narendra Modi tomorrow will significantly deepen our bilateral partnership.”
The Philippines President is accompanied by First Lady Madame Louise Araneta Marcos.
