Manila, March 19 -- The growing engagement between the Philippines and India opens up an opportunity for the two states to elevate relations into a "strategic partnership," Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said.

In a television interview during his official visit to India Tuesday (local time), Manalo said the India-Philippines relations have "basically grown by leaps and bounds" over the past years, including on trade and defense.

"Our relationship has never been better and the prognosis for the future is very optimistic because we are expanding cooperation in many areas not only in traditional economic and trade but in new areas such as energy, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity," he said.

"So, in many ways there is a ...