New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday referred to the Indo-Pacific islands as 'large ocean countries' and not 'small island states' as they are usually referred to. He was co-chairing the 3rd India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) Summit in Papua New Guinea with the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, James Marape. Modi stressed that India believes in multilateralism and supports an inclusive Indo-Pacific.
Showcasing India's role in the Indo-Pacific, he said that India considers it its responsibility to convey the concerns of the Global South, their expectations and their aspirations to the world through the G-20. "This was my effort in the last two days at the G7 summit as well," Modi said. He further said that India takes pride to be the development partner of the Global South. "You can count on India as a reliable partner. We are ready to share our experiences and capabilities with you without hesitation," he added.
Speaking about Covid, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the pandemic added a burden to the challenges the Global South was already facing. In addition to climate change, natural disasters, hunger, poverty and health, the islands nations are facing new problems, he said adding that India stood by its friendly Pacific Island countries in times of difficulty.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Papua New Guinea counterpart held a bilateral in Port Moresby and discussed cooperation in commerce, technology, and healthcare as well as climate change. "Prime Minister James Marape and I had very productive talks, covering the full range of bilateral relations between India and Papua New Guinea. We discussed ways to augment cooperation in commerce, technology, healthcare and in addressing climate change," PM Modi tweeted.
The two leaders also launched a translation of the Tamil classic 'Thirukkural' in the Tok Pisin language of Papua New Guinea. The book was co-authored by Subha Sasindran and Governor Sasindran Muthuvel of West New Britain Province. PM Modi arrived in Papua New Guinea on the second leg of his three-country visit. This is PM Modi's first tour to the island nation. It also marks the first-ever visit by any Indian Prime Minister to the Indo-Pacific country.
