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Monday, August 3, 2015

Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC)

Background to  Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC)

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined the inaugural India-Pacific Island Countries Forum Summit in November 2014 in Suva,Fiji where a delegation including Vanuatu's Foreign Affairs Minister was present. Prime Minister Modi announced new programs to benefit India and the Pacific Countries, including Vanuatu. These announcements included:
  • An increase of "Grant-in-Aid" from US$125,000 to $200,000 annually to each of the 14 Pacific Countries for community projects of their choice.
  • A Visa on arrival for Indians travelling to various Pacific Island Countries.
  • A Trade Office in India for all Pacific Island countries in the forum.
  • That the next India-Pacific Island Countries Forum Summit will take place in India in 2015.
  • A new Visitors Programme for Pacific Island Countries.
Prime Minister Modi also proposed the idea of a regular 'Forum for India- Pacific Islands Cooperation', designed to enhance dialogue between India and the Pacific Countries


India to Host Meeting of 14 Pacific Island Nations

On August 21, 2015 India will host the heads of 14 island nations at the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC), in what is seen as a first step towards greater engagement with the region, which is important from an economic and geostrategic standpoint

The upcoming summit in Jaipur is expected to pave the way for agreements in agriculture, food processing, fisheries, solar energy, e-networks for coordination in telemedicine and tele-education, space cooperation and climate change, all of which were mentioned as areas of potential cooperation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Fiji in Nov 2014

The 14 Pacific Island countries are 
  • Cook Islands
  • Kingdom of Tonga
  • Tuvalu
  • Republic of Nauru
  • Republic of Kiribati
  • Vanuatu
  • Solomon Islands
  • Samoa
  • Niue
  • Republic of Palau
  • Federated States of Micronesia
  • Republic of Marshall Islands
  • Fiji and 
  • Papua New Guinea.

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