Modi visit to Fiji | India Writes

India’s outreach to Pacific Islands: Making a difference

August 16, 2015August 18, 2015 - by India Writes Network

India is set to host a summit with leaders from 14 members of the Pacific Islands Forum (FIPIC) in Jaipur on August 21, which is expected to be attended by 10 heads of state/government from the PIF members. The initiative has the potential to revitalise India’s relations with these countries, as expressed during the summit meeting held during the visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Fiji in November 2014. Though these countries are relatively small, and distant from India, there are several areas for fruitful cooperation.
There are certain issues that need attention. Implementation of projects offered by India should be improved by appropriate reforms in project management and financial approval processes. Indian diplomatic representation is weak and many of the PIF members are covered by non-resident Indian missions which are not able to make frequent visits. One approach could be to have in addition, Special Envoys from India for promoting bilateral relations with these countries. These could provide advocacy and give a push to cooperation.

Sugar-sweet: India galvanises ties with Fiji

November 19, 2014November 19, 2014 - by India Writes Network

In a defining outreach to Pacific islands community, India has unveiled a $75 million line of credit for Fiji for upgrading the sugar industry and sought to deepen defence and security cooperation with the archipelago nation.
Revitalising development partnership with Fiji, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who touched down in Suva at the crack of dawn on a day-long visit, also pledged $5 million fund to develop villages in the Pacific nation that is home to a large Indian diaspora. Persons of Indian origin comprise over 37 per cent of Fiji’s population.
Signalling a diplomatic upsurge with the Pacific island community, the Indian leader also held a summit meeting with the leaders of the island states. Mr Modi announced an ambitious Pan-Pacific Islands Network that will provide telemedicine and tele-education to residents of these countries.

India & Fiji: A Pacific Bonding

November 18, 2014November 19, 2014 - by Manish Chand

Call it the Pacific Bonding, if you like. The multi-hued ties between India and Fiji are set to get a new sparkle as Suva rolls out the red carpet for India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 29. This will be the first prime ministerial visit from India to Fiji after Indira Gandhi visited the Pacific nation 33 years ago in 1981.
The timing of the visit is propitious as Mr Modi visits the island nation weeks after Fiji held multi-party elections, which was judged as largely free and fair by the international community. India has welcomed Fiji’s re-embrace of democracy and backed the election process by providing indelible ink and training. India also participated in the Multilateral Observer Group (MOG) for the Fiji elections as co-Chair (with Australia and Indonesia).
Fittingly, Prime Minister Modi’s 10-day overseas trip that included big-ticket multilateral summits and dozens of bilateral meetings in Myanmar and Australia ends with Fiji and meetings with leaders of small but significant Pacific island nations that are set to loom large on India’s diplomatic agenda in days to come.

Modi’s high-speed diplomacy: 3 countries, 4 summits, 40 leaders in 10 days

November 11, 2014May 27, 2015 - by Manish Chand

Three countries, four multilateral summits, meetings with over 40 leaders of the world, spanning continents and diverse geographies, including Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America and Pacific Region. And all this in 10 days! If this sounds like fantastic and humanly impossible, weigh in again. This is India’s speed diplomacy cruising along in high gear as Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads on a 10-day overseas tour that’s going to underline New Delhi’s commitment to multilateralism and its proactive thrust to shape an emerging world order.
Prime Minister Modi looks poised to display a deft multilateral diplomacy and reaffirm India’s commitment to multilateralism that was questioned by many after New Delhi stood globally marginalised following its refusal to play along with the Trade Facilitation Agreement at the WTO. In a departure statement ahead of his trip, PM Modi has summarised some key themes of his longest overseas trip. First, be spoke about multiple global challenges and underscored national development and resurgence as the driving force of India’s diplomacy.

By the time Mr Modi returns home, he would have met leaders of most of the world, spanning continents.

Why PM Modi’s voyage to Fiji matters

October 27, 2014October 27, 2014 - by Shubha Singh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Fiji Islands would be an enormous boost for the Indian diasporic community and will underline increased warmth in Fiji’s ties with India. The scenic South Pacific island nation, which advertises itself as a ticket to happiness, is basking in the glow of restored democratic governance after a watershed election on September 17. After eight years of military rule, Fiji held elections under a new constitution and a new electoral system that guaranteed equality to all its citizens.
When Prime Minister Modi lands in Suva, the picturesque capital of Fiji, he will be the first Indian head of government to do so in over three decades; the last Indian prime minister to visit the island nation was Indira Gandhi in 1981.
Fiji’s Prime Minister Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama was among the first world leaders to congratulate Mr Modi after the Bharatiya Janata Party won the national elections in May 2014. “I am confident that the true spirit of friendship and cooperation that provides the unbreakable bond between our two nations and its people will be further strengthened in the years ahead,” Bainimarama had said as he invited the Indian leader to visit Fiji at an early date. Modi had tweeted in response: “We will make India-Fiji relations stronger in the coming years.”