Marcos welcomes 5 new envoys

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday welcomed the new ambassadors of Italy, India, Ireland, Finland and the European Union. Marcos told Italian Ambassador-designate Davide Giglio that he looks forward to expanding the areas of cooperation between the Philippines and Italy. "We are very grateful to Italy for the show of support. And we consider it not just a show of support for the Philippines but also to the rule of law, and to make it very clear on that we are like-minded states," the President said, referring to the visits of Italian ships in the country this month. In 2022, the Philippines and Italy marked the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. In the same year, the total trade between the two countries reached $1.2 billion. Italy ranks as the fourth-largest trading partner of the Philippines in the EU, with more than 500 companies in the country with Italian equity. As India's Ambassador-designate Harsh Kumar Jain presented his credentials, Marcos recognized the Philippines' long-standing friendship with India, noting he wished to reaffirm the country's commitment to pursuing stronger political, economic and cultural ties with the South Asian country. Last year, the bilateral trade between the two countries surpassed $3 billion. The Philippine exports to India exceeded $1 billion, making India the Philippines' 13th biggest export market in 2023. India and the Philippines enjoy strong defense ties. The Department of National Defense recently approved the acquisition of a shore-based anti-ship missile system for the Philippine Navy through a government-to-government deal. The delivery of the first batch of articles under the BrahMos Missile System project arrived in April. Ireland's Ambassador-designate Emma Hickey, Finland's Ambassador Saija Nurminen and the EU's Ambassador Mariomassimo Santoro also presented their credentials to Marcos.