The Ambassador of the Philippines to India, Josel Francisco Ignacio, is committed to enhancing the relationship between the two countries. He highlighted the progress in trade, investments, and direct air connectivity. In an interview, he mentioned the celebration of 75 years of diplomatic relations in 2024 and praised the efforts of India's S Jaishankar and the Philippines' Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo in strengthening these ties.
Ambassador Ignacio noted the significant improvement in relations over the past decade, especially due to India's Act East policy. He shared that trade between the two nations reached USD 3 billion in 2023 and maintained this level in 2024. The Ambassador expressed a desire to expand trade further and explore a preferential trade agreement.
He also emphasized the Philippines' interest in boosting investments in West Bengal and restoring direct air connectivity with India. The Ambassador is optimistic about achieving this goal within the year and hopes for more airlines to establish routes between the two countries.
Ambassador Ignacio acknowledged Dr. Jaishankar's support in strengthening bilateral relations and looks forward to continuing this positive collaboration in the future.
An ambassador is a person who represents their country in another country. The Philippines Ambassador to India is Josel Francisco Ignacio, who works to improve the relationship between the Philippines and India.
Strengthening ties means making the relationship between two countries better and stronger. This can involve more trade, better communication, and working together on different projects.
Trade is the buying and selling of goods and services between countries. In this context, it refers to the exchange of products and services between India and the Philippines.
Investments are when people or companies put money into something to make it grow or become better. Here, it means the Philippines wants to put money into projects in India, especially in West Bengal, to help both countries grow economically.
Air connectivity refers to the availability of flights between two places. The Philippines wants to have more direct flights to India to make travel easier between the two countries.
Diplomatic relations are the official relationships between two countries. In 2024, India and the Philippines will celebrate 75 years of having these official connections.
S Jaishankar is the current Minister of External Affairs of India. He is responsible for managing India's relationships with other countries, including the Philippines.
Enrique Manalo is the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines. He works on the Philippines' international relations, similar to S Jaishankar's role in India.
USD 3 billion is a large amount of money, specifically in US dollars. It represents the value of trade between India and the Philippines in 2023.
West Bengal is a state in eastern India. The Philippines is interested in investing in this region to help improve economic ties with India.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *