New Delhi : Fiji remains India's very special partner in Indo-Pacific, said Secretary ( East) Ministry of External Affairs, Jaideep Mazumdar as he briefed the media here in New Delhi on the visit of President Murmu to Fiji.
Addressing the special media briefing here on Tuesday, "India and Fiji share a very special and enduring bond, going back almost a century and a half, and India and Fiji have been strengthening our engagements with each other, and India has endeavoured to strengthen our engagement with the Pacific region as a whole, bilaterally with the countries of the region, and under our action-oriented Forum for India and the Pacific Islands Cooperation, or what we call FIPIC. And Fiji remains our very special partner in Indo-Pacific".
"If you remember, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, inaugurated the first FIPIC Summit here in Fiji, in Suva, and so it is in this context that the visit of Rashtrapati ji assumes great significance. This certainly marks a new chapter as we further boost the strong momentum that has been generated by the increasing level of high-level contact between our two nations during the past several years, which was also marked by 75 years of India's diplomatic presence in Fiji", he said.
He said that an important outcome of the visit was the formal allocation of the project site for the 100-bedded Super Speciality Hospital to be established in Suva as a Government of India grant in aid projects, which was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 3rd FIPIC Summit in 2023, that is last year.
"We are confident that this critical infrastructure for public good will bring a paradigm change in the delivery of quality and affordable health care, not just to Fiji, but to the entire Pacific region. Another important outcome of this visit was the allocation of land by the Fijian Government for the construction of our High Commission premises and the Indian Cultural Centre in Suva", Secretary East said.
Giving details of the President's visit to Fiji, Mazumdar said, "President Murmu landed in Suva from Nadi in the morning today, and upon arrival, she was accorded the Guard of Honor by the Fiji Military Police, followed by a traditional welcome, which was attended by the Prime Minister".
At the State House, President Droupadi Murmu met the President of Fiji, Ratu Wiliame Maivalili Katonivere. Together, they viewed the solarization project of the State House, which was completed by India as part of our development partnership, and the project also reflects India's strong commitment to climate action and climate justice.
Fijian Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka also called on President Murmu, along with several of his ministerial colleagues, and they held wide-ranging discussions in which they reaffirmed the mutual trust and the strong commitment towards enhancing our bilateral relationship for progress and prosperity of the people of both our countries.
The President of Fiji also conferred upon President Murmu the Order of Fiji, which was deeply appreciated by Rashtrapati ji and her delegation.
Later, she addressed the Fijian Parliament in a historic address and had an interaction with Members of Parliament, which further reaffirmed the strong democratic linkages between our two countries. She also paid respects by garlanding the bust of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, just a little while ago, and also placed a wreath at the National War Memorial in Suva.
Earlier in the afternoon, the Prime Minister hosted a lunch for the visit Indian President and her delegation. A community interaction was also held today, where Prez Murmu addressed community members of Indian origin in Fiji and hailed the contribution of Girmitiyas, recognizing their immense contribution to the growth and development of Fiji, and also fostering ties between the two nations.
The Secretary (East) said,"A large part of our close and long-standing bilateral ties is built on people-to-people linkages and almost a third of the Fijian population traced their roots to India, while at the same time they retained their culture, traditions, and language, but with typical Fijian flavour".
