India announces free e-visas to tourists from the Philippines, boosts ties

The development comes after the Philippines earlier this year announced that it will grant visa-free entry to Indian nationals

India will now offer free e-visas to tourists from the Philippines, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in Delhi on Tuesday, adding that efforts are underway to launch direct flights between Delhi and Manila later this year.

 

"We welcome the Philippines’ decision to offer visa-free entry to Indian tourists. India has also decided to extend free e-visa facilities to tourists from the Philippines," PM Modi said while addressing a joint press statement with the Philippines President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr.

 

Marcos is on a five-day state visit to India, concluding on August 8.

 

The development comes after the Philippines announced earlier this year that it will grant visa-free entry to Indian nationals. 

Strategic partnerships for trade, development and defence

 

In his statement, PM Modi said that bilateral trade between India and the Philippines has been steadily increasing and has now crossed the $3 billion mark. He added that completing the review of the India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement is a priority, and both sides have also agreed to work towards establishing a bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement.

 

"This year, India and the Philippines are celebrating the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, and in this context, this visit holds special significance. Although our diplomatic relations may be new, the connections between our civilisations date back to ancient times," PM Modi said.

 

He emphasised that both the countries have decided to elevate their relations to the status of a strategic partnership. "A comprehensive action plan has also been formulated to translate the potential of this partnership into results," PM Modi said.

 

Under the development partnership, the PM stated that India will increase the number of 'Quick Impact Projects' in the Philippines, along with cooperation in the development of sovereign data cloud infrastructure.

 

Defence and maritime cooperation

 

In the defence domain, three Indian Navy ships are currently participating in naval exercises in the Philippines, marking the first such instance. A hydrography ship is also part of the mission, PM Modi said. 

 

The Philippines has been invited to join India’s International Fusion Centre for maritime domain awareness in the Indian Ocean Region, he added.