External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday expressed that India looks to co-host the third summit of the Forum for India Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) in the coming months.
Jaishankar went on to say that “we welcome Fiji’s presence and leadership on that occasion,” while issuing a joint press statement with Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka in Suva.
The first FIPIC was launched while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on his visit to Fiji in November 2014. It is a group of India and 14 Pacific nations, which include the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
All the heads of state of the above nations had a meeting in Suva in 2014. The aim of the conference was to improve the prospects for trade and investment, exchange of business delegations between India and Pacific Island nations.
Apart from organising events, trade fairs and online and offline match-making services were also on the agenda for the 2014 conference.
India has been focusing largely on the Indian Ocean, where it wants to play a significant role to protect its strategic and commercial interests. India wants to expand its engagement in the Pacific region through the FIPIC initiative.
Jaishankar landed at Suva Airport today, met the President of Fiji, Ratu Wiliame Maivalili Katonivere, and took part in the commissioning of Solar Panel Event.
The External Affairs Minister went on to say that they discussed global and regional issues and that they decided to work closely to strengthen their multilateral cooperation, as well as to work hard in international organizations.
Jaishankar talked about the launch of the ‘Solarization’ and said the project shows India’s concerns regarding climate action. The Foreign Minister went on to say that the two countries had signed and exchanged a visa waiver agreement.