The 5th Fiji and India Foreign Office Consultation (FOC) was convened at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters in Suva, yesterday (18/07/22).
The Permanent Secretary for Office of the Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs, Mr Yogesh Karan led the Fijian delegation, while the Indian Government’s delegation at the meeting was led by Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India Mr Saurabh Kumar. In attendance at the meeting were also Fiji’s High Commissioner to India, Mr Kamlesh Prakash, and Indian High Commissioner to Fiji, Mr P.S. Karthigeyan.
The agenda for discussions included, “Fiji and India’s Bilateral Relations, World Hindi Conference, Regional and Global Issues and Multilateral Cooperation.”
In his opening remarks, Mr Karan welcomed Mr Kumar and his delegation to Fiji and thanked them for their support towards the 5th Fiji-India FOC.
Mr Karan said, “Fiji looked forward to the discussions from the agreed agenda which he said would foster bilateral cooperation in the areas of defence, economic developments, health and medical care, sugar, and the agriculture sector.”
He also took the opportunity to reaffirm the Fijian Government’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with India.
Mr Karan said the 52 years of collaboration and friendship between Fiji and India has grown from strength to strength over the years.
In his remarks, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, Mr. Saurabh Kumar emphasised India’s commitment to increasing levels of cooperation with Fiji and the region.
He spoke highly of the recent meeting which took place between India’s Minister for External Affairs, Honourable Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama, along the margins of the Group of 20 (G20) Summit in Bali, Indonesia.
“We can categorise our relationship as warm and friendly based on mutual respect and cooperation and strong cultural and people-to-people ties.
“India would like to strengthen its relations and development partnership with Pacific Island Countries. Fiji is a special partner in that objective. This is the 5th round of consultations that, we are having and we are having it after 5 years. In these 5 years, a lot has happened globally; the consultations would provide us an opportunity to discuss global and regional events as well as bilateral cooperation. I am looking forward to the discussions,” Mr Kumar said.
In terms of scaling up economic cooperation, both sides exchanged views on establishing a Trade Office for Fiji and the Pacific region. There were discussions on increasing cooperation in economic areas, tourism agriculture, sugar industry, renewable energy, defence, trade and investment, health, and education, amongst others.
Fiji welcomes India’s cooperation in the health sector through initiatives in the Public Private Partnership for the enhancement of health care services and the provision of training opportunities in India for our medical personnel. It was outlined that, over 225 Fijians have benefited from the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme in the last 5 years and there are plans to expand educational opportunities through the provision of scholarships and student exchange programmes in technical areas of expertise.
The discussions outlined the new Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) for formalisation of new areas of partnerships, particularly in areas of economic development. It is envisaged that upon completion, the Barefoot College would create empowerment opportunities for women and youth in Fiji.
Mr Karan said Fiji is proud to host the 12th World Hindi Conference and it looks forward to India’s support in making this event a grand success.
He provided an overview of the region’s collective priorities as the Blue Pacific, with acknowledgment of India’s efforts to enhance engagements in the Pacific region – both bilaterally and at the regional level through India- Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC).
Both sides acknowledged that climate change is an existential threat for Small Island Developing States and that there is a lot that can be done to increase support for SIDS. Fiji looks forward to India’s partnership in areas of climate adaptation and mitigation, renewable energy, and innovative solutions to achieve net zero emissions.
