PAPUA NEW GUINEA: In an unusual accolade for a non-Fijian, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was presented with the highest honour of Fiji on Monday by its premier Sitiveni Rabuka in appreciation of his leadership on the international stage. Modi made his first trip to Papua New Guinea on Sunday to hold an important conference between India and 14 Pacific island nations to strengthen bilateral ties.
Modi made his first trip to Papua New Guinea on Sunday to hold an important conference between India and 14 Pacific island nations to strengthen bilateral ties.''Big Honour for India. Prime Minister Modi has been conferred the highest honour of Fiji by the PM of Fiji: Companion of the Order of Fiji in recognition of his global leadership. Only a handful of Non-Fijians have received this honour to date,'' the Prime Minister's Office said.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs' tweet, Prime Minister Modi dedicated the distinction to the generations of the Fiji-Indian community and the people of India, both of whom have contributed significantly to the unique and enduring link between the two nations.
He also spoke with Rabuka from Fiji on the sidelines of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) conference.
PM Modi thanked the government and further said, 'I am thankful to the people and Government of Fiji for bestowing upon me the Companion of the Order of Fiji. I express my gratitude to PM Sitiveni Rabuka for presenting this prestigious award. It is a great honor for India and acknowledges the deep bond between our two nations.'
''Delighted to meet PM @slrabuka of Fiji. We had a great conversation on various topics. The relations between India and Fiji have stood the test of time. We look forward to working together to further cement it in the coming years,'' Prime Minister Modi tweeted.
During the 2014 visit of Prime Minister Modi to Fiji, Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) was founded. Given how rarely they typically meet due to connectivity challenges and other issues, the fact that leaders from 14 countries are attending this year's FIPIC meeting is a significant development.
The countries that make up the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) are Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. They also include the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, and Samoa. These nations take part in FIPIC to foster cooperation and strengthen connections with India in the Pacific region.
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