Departure Statement by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for His Participation in the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India

Mga kababayan, tayo po ay babiyahe patungong India upang paunlakan ang paanyaya ni Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Just a little over a year ago, I visited India on a fruitful State Visit that saw our intensifying 75-year-old ties deservingly and fittingly elevated to a Strategic Partnership.

This time, our purpose is two-fold.

First, the Philippines will represent our ASEAN Community in our capacity as Chair, in the two-day 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi this weekend.

The Philippines shall be joining BRICS’ core member and partner countries as one of the invited “Outreach Countries.”

In this role, I will carry ASEAN’s voice to the Summit and help amplify our Community’s perspectives on the issues of our time, guided by the priorities of our Chairship—peace and security anchors, prosperity corridors, and people empowerment.

ASEAN represents the 11 nations of Southeast Asia, a community of almost 700 million people united by a shared commitment to regional stability and collective prosperity.

We will engage the BRICS community—whose ranks include four of our fellow ASEAN Member States—on advancing our quest for peace, inclusive growth, regional resilience, sustainable development, food and energy security, and a rules-based international order.

Malaki ang maiaambag ng ASEAN dito, kabilang ang ating mga naging aksyon sa mga isyung ito.

We have been asked to participate in the BRICS Summit at a time when the global economy is undergoing profound changes, even pressure.

Indeed, international and regional groupings may diverge on issues, thrusts, and interests.

It is our conviction, however, that as a broader community of nations, it is imperative that

we coalesce and cohere around issues that impact us collectively.

It is interesting to note that the priorities of the Philippines’ Chairship of ASEAN, under the theme “Navigating our Future, Together,” align well with the priorities of India’s Chairship of BRICS which is themed, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”

At the Open Session on September 13, which the Philippines as ASEAN Chair and as Outreach Country has been invited, I will have the opportunity to present the priorities of ASEAN to the BRICS members.

I intend to highlight ASEAN’s commitment to deepen its engagement with its partners through established frameworks.

I will offer views on how partners can and should work in concert, if not together, to address these challenges, especially those that impact developing countries and emerging economies.

We will call for fairer global governance, stronger disaster preparedness, and the responsible use of new technologies, climate action, and the peaceful settlement of disputes under international law.

We will bring lessons from ASEAN’s track record and long-standing commitment to open and inclusive dialogue, while preserving strategic autonomy.

Secondly, I return to India to further drive forward and provide practical substance to our engagement.

With Prime Minister Modi, we will track progress in the key areas of our Strategic Partnership,

pick up on our governments’ sustained exchange of perspectives on broader economic and strategic questions confronting our shared interests.

Prime Minister Modi and I will review the progress in the implementation of the Five-Year Plan of Action for 2025 to 2029 that underpins our Strategic Partnership.

Our discussions will cover defense and maritime cooperation, trade and investment, the proposed Preferential Trade Agreement, health and pharmaceuticals, digital cooperation, tourism, direct air connectivity, and people-to-people ties.

It will also be an auspicious occasion to renew our invitation for Prime Minister Modi to visit Manila for the ASEAN-India Summit and the East Asia Summit in November.

As a Comprehensive Strategic Partner of ASEAN, his visit and presence will affirm India’s support for the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairship and our objectives.

Business and economy are also important pillars of our ties with India.  And while in New Delhi,

I likewise look forward to engaging Indian companies and players on why the Philippines should be part of their growth story.

They will have plenty of opportunities to consider in infrastructure, digitalization, IT, pharmaceuticals, transport and logistics, and other sectors critical to our development.

Mga kababayan, malawak at malalim ang ating pagkakaibigan sa India.

Our exchanges of visits with India harken back to an older age when our peoples and civilizations connected via early ideas, language, culture, and commerce.

These links live on in our modern era through our diplomacy, trade and business linkages, tourism connections, and the hallmarks of 21st century society: digital networks, supply chains, investment flows, financial systems, and technological ecosystems that connect our economies.

Our task is to see to it that these modern connections remain open, resilient, and capable of delivering prosperity to our people.  Where the sea’s currents and trade winds of yore were sufficient to link geographies, we must now ensure that the sea lanes are just as free, open, and governed by law, rules, and responsible behavior.

We thus embark for India determined to continue the task of translating potential to action,

and action into gains—gains for greater economic security for the Filipino people, for ASEAN and its external partnerships, and for fostering broader practical cooperation among players, even of differing persuasions, to support peace, security, and shared prosperity.

I look forward to another productive visit to India, to engaging leaders, nations, and entities participating in the BRICS Summit, and to opening more doors for the Philippines and for ASEAN.

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