Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral meetings this afternoon at the Rambagh Palace, Jaipur with Prime Minister of Republic of Fiji H.E. Josaia V. Bainimarama, Prime Minister of Independent State of Papua New Guinea H.E. Peter O’ Neill, Prime Minister of Republic of Vanuatu H.E. Sato Kilman, and President of Republic of Nauru H.E. Baron Divavesi Waqa. The meetings were held before the Second FIPIC (Forum for India- Pacific Islands Cooperation) Summit in Jaipur today.
All the above-mentioned dignitaries expressed strong support for UN reforms and India’s candidature for the permanent membership of a reformed UN Security Council. Prime Minister Modi gave his assurance on working together with the Pacific Island countries towards adaptation of technologies to combat the effects of climate change and promised India’s full support for disaster mitigation.
The Prime Minister of Fiji raised the issue of cooperation in setting up a medical centre in Fiji, which could act as hub for the region, in collaboration with an Indian healthcare major with participation and involvement of both governments. He also expressed his desire to set up a pharmaceutical plant in Fiji with Indian collaboration and for investment in the tourism sector. Both sides agreed to expand cooperation in field of defence and security, for which the relevant delegations will meet shortly in Fiji. India will also collaborate with Fiji in the agriculture and dairy sectors, and help in building capacity for resilience against disasters. It was agreed that Indian trade delegations should visit Fiji in the near future to look at trade opportunities, especially in the construction sector.
India will also support Papua New Guinea in developing the infrastructure sector, especially roads, highways and airports. PNG expressed its desire to obtain $ 100 mn as loan from Exim Bank of India for this purpose, which will be considered favourably. Both sides also agreed to enhance cooperation in Defence, Capacity Building, Public Administration, Health, Education and the Oil and Gas sectors. PNG expressed the hope that collaboration with ONGC Videsh will be taken forward in the near future. India will send a trade delegation to PNG shortly.
The Prime Minister of Vanuatu and PM Modi discussed UN Reforms and capacity building in Vanuatu. They agreed that provision of grants had to be meant for the purpose intended by the recipient country and needed to be focused on indentified needs. In this context, Vanuatu thanked India for its cash assistance of US $ 250,000 in wake of cyclone Pam, which was timely.
Nauru expressed its appreciation for Indian help in building sea walls to combat rising sea levels. Both sides agreed to take this development cooperation forward, build capacity in Nauru for disaster management and response to the adverse impact of Climate Change. India will also ask its experts to work with Nauru in repairing the mooring to ensure that the docking of ships at the harbor can take place in an effortless manner.
