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Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita touched down in Samoa's capital on Thursday, beginning the first leg of a three-nation diplomatic visit across the Pacific Island nations. Upon arrival, Margherita expressed enthusiasm about the prospect of enhancing collaboration and advancing mutual development objectives.
"Arrived in the beautiful city of Apia for my visit to Samoa. Looking forward to productive discussions and high-level engagements as we deepen our cooperation and advance our shared development priorities," Margherita posted on X. Margherita will undertake an official visit to Samoa, the Cook Islands and Nauru between October 16 and 22. Throughout the visit, Margherita is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with the top leadership across the three Pacific Island territories, interact with prominent local figures and meet members of the Indian diaspora. Furthermore, he will inspect India-backed development initiatives in the region, according to a Tuesday announcement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). "The visit underscores India's commitment to strengthening its partnership with Pacific Island Countries under the framework of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC), and to further deepening political engagement and development cooperation with the region. It builds on the momentum of the 3rd FIPIC Summit held in Port Moresby in May 2023," the MEA mentioned in the statement. The meeting saw participation from the Pacific Island Countries (PIC), including the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance of Samoa; the Foreign Ministers of Fiji, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu; Tonga's Finance Minister; the Secretary of the Department of Justice and Attorney General of Micronesia; the Health Minister of Vanuatu; the Deputy Foreign Minister of Nauru; and the Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). As outlined in a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), "The leaders reviewed the outcomes of the FIPIC Summits and welcomed progress in India-PIC cooperation, including under the 12-Point Action Plan announced in 2023 by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi." During the meeting, EAM Jaishankar noted that India's policy towards the Pacific has consistently remained demand-focused, development-centric and people-centred. (ANI)
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