At a press briefing, India Ministry of External Affairs Secretary Preeti Saran described the bilateral meeting between President Duterte and Prime Minister Modi as "very cordial."
Saran said the Prime Minister conveyed his deep gratitude to the President for pushing through with his trip despite having domestic problems back home particularly the Mayon volcano eruption.
"Our Prime Minister conveyed his deep appreciation to President Duterte. He was aware of the risk of Mayon Volcano that has erupted which is naturally a cause of concern," said Saran.
"And in fact because of that, President Duterte had to delay his flight because he needs to attend to issues related to assuring safety and whichever arrangements that they need back home," she added.
She said Prime Minister Modi appreciated the fact that President Duterte still brought along a high-level delegation including his Cabinet officials in his trip "underlining the importance that he personally attached to this visit."
"That gesture was deeply appreciated by our Prime Minister and he conveyed his sincerest thanks to him for that," she added.
Saran said the two leaders discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest during the bilateral meeting including combatting illicit drug trafficking, sharing of intelligence and countering terrorism such as urban terrorism.
She added that the two "shared concerns about the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction" citing linkages and international networks involved in such activities.
The Indian official said President Duterte also reiterated his deepest appreciation to Prime Minister for the assistance of $500,000 that was provided by India to resettlement of victims of Marawi siege.
She said Duterte likewise expressed interest and desire for greater cooperation with India in the pharmaceutical sector and agreed to form a joint technical working group to hold meetings as early as March.
She said the President also conveyed his appreciation for the role of the Indian community in various fields in the Philippines including economic, services sector and infrastructure.
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