New Delhi [India], July 21 (ANI): As Philippines chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for the year 2026, Philippines Ambassador to India, Josel F Ignacio, on Tuesday said that India has a “very important role” to play in achieving ASEAN’s goals, while highlighting New Delhi’s consistent support for ASEAN unity and centrality as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is expected to visit Manila for ASEAN and Quad-related meetings.Speaking to ANI on the Philippines’ priorities as the ASEAN Chair for 2026, Ignacio said Manila’s theme of “Navigating Our Future Together” reflects the shared responsibility of member states and partners in addressing geopolitical challenges and advancing regional cooperation.”The Philippines, as chairman of ASEAN, we have chosen the theme ‘Navigating Our Future Together’. Just to highlight the fact that we’re all in this together, and we share the same fate, whatever geopolitical factors come to bear on our realities. Ultimately, we have to solve them as well,” Ignacio said.He said the Philippines has identified three key priorities during its ASEAN Chairship, “Peace and Security Anchors”, “Prosperity Corridors” and “People Empowerment”, which align with ASEAN’s political-security, economic and socio-cultural pillars.”In practical terms, this means supporting economic integration and digital transformation for our MSMEs, supporting supply chain resilience, and especially given the current crisis in West Asia, energy and even food security,” the envoy said.Ignacio emphasised India’s role in supporting ASEAN objectives, noting the convergence between New Delhi’s Indo-Pacific vision and ASEAN’s regional outlook.”We believe that India has a very important role to play when it comes to achieving this purpose. India has always supported ASEAN centrality. We have a convergence of views in our views on the Indo-Pacific, the IPOI and the ASEAN Outlook,” he said.He added that India supports the ASEAN Master Plan on Connectivity and that both sides are working under the ASEAN-India Plan of Action to strengthen cooperation.”As we enter the halfway mark of our term, I believe that we’ve hosted ASEAN summits and now the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ meeting and related meetings. I believe that we’re making some progress with our priorities, and we look forward to the next six months delivering as much as we can on these goals,” Ignacio said.On External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s expected visit to Manila for the ASEAN and Quad meetings, the Philippines envoy said the visit would highlight India’s commitment to ASEAN unity, centrality and the ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.”The meeting is already this week, so we look forward to welcoming His Excellency Dr Jaishankar to Manila. We see the significance of this on two fronts. Certainly, while the meeting is ASEAN-related principally, the obvious significance of it is again that it’s an opportunity for India to show its support for ASEAN unity and centrality,” Ignacio said.He said the visit would also provide an opportunity to advance the ASEAN-India agenda, including the review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) and cooperation on maritime security.The envoy also highlighted the bilateral importance of Jaishankar’s visit, saying it would further strengthen Philippines-India relations.”Regardless of the ASEAN context, it’s very welcome from the Philippines’ perspective, bilaterally as the Philippines-India, to have Dr Jaishankar again visit the Philippines,” he added.Ignacio noted that Jaishankar’s visit would continue a pattern of engagement, with the External Affairs Minister having travelled to Manila in 2022 and 2024.On supply chain resilience and cooperation on critical minerals, Ignacio said ASEAN and India have significant areas of complementarity, including mineral resources, manufacturing capabilities and technologies.”Both India and ASEAN countries have huge amounts of mineral deposits and raw materials. Both have very robust and strong sectors that produce intermediate goods. Both have technologies to utilise this, whether for further processing or as end users,” he said.The envoy said deeper cooperation between India and ASEAN could expand economic options and reduce dependence on a limited set of partners.”It can only enhance ASEAN and India’s range of alternatives and options, reducing our dependence on traditional partners. The more the better is the principle that’s at work here,” Ignacio said.The Philippines assumed the ASEAN Chairship for 2026 under the theme “Navigating Our Future, Together”, focusing on regional peace and security, economic integration, digital transformation, inclusive growth and people empowerment.The chairship comes at a time when ASEAN seeks to strengthen resilience amid global uncertainties while advancing cooperation among member states and external partners, including India. (ANI)(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)