President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrives in New Delhi, India to take part in the 18th BRICS Summit in his capacity as ASEAN Chair and invited outreach country. Handout/Presidential Communications Office
NEW DELHI, India (UPDATED) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrived in New Delhi, India 11:45pm (India time) for his participation in the BRICS Summit—where he is expected to join other world leaders.
The plane carrying the President, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and several Cabinet secretaries touched down around at the Palam Air Force Station in New Delhi.
Marcos will have a series of meetings with Indian business leaders first before meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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The Palace says aside from being the ASEAN Chair, the Philippines was also invited as an "Outreach Country" – a non-member nation allowed to participate in the bloc's summit discussions and dialogues.
Marcos will join other world leaders expected to attend the summit, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Also attending are his fellow Southeast Asian leaders, including Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, whose country is a full member of BRICS.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, whose countries are BRICS partners, are also participating in the summit.
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Marcos will attend the summit's Open Session on September 13, "where he is expected to present the priorities and gains of the Philippines' ASEAN Chairship and discuss pressing issues affecting developing countries and emerging economies."
In his departure statement, President Marcos said the Philippines will highlight ASEAN's commitment to deepening engagement with its partners through established frameworks.
"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," the President said.
President Marcos said he will also share lessons from ASEAN's long-standing commitment to an open and inclusive dialogue while preserving the region's strategic autonomy.
Apart from the summit, President Marcos will meet with Prime Minister Modi to review progress in key areas of the Philippines-India Strategic Partnership, a year after the President's State Visit to India.
"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," President Marcos said.
The two leaders are expected to discuss 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.
Philippine envoy to India Josel Ignacio said President Marcos' State Visit and the meeting with Prime Minister Modi last year "revitalized" and "energized" relations between the Philippines and India.
"We hope that this will continue in the years to come," Ignacio added.