Suva, March 10: India and Fiji held discussions on Tuesday focused on strengthening cooperation in various areas, including digital and multimedia communications, climate initiatives, waste management, training, and capacity building.
The talks took place during a meeting between India's High Commissioner to Fiji, Suneet Mehta, and Fiji's Minister for Information, Environment, and Climate Change, Lynda Tabuya.
In a post on X, India's High Commission in Fiji stated, "High Commissioner Suneet Mehta was pleased to meet with Minister for Information, Environment & Climate Change, Hon. Lynda Tabuya. Productive discussions were held focusing on strengthening India-Fiji cooperation in various areas, including digital and multimedia communications, climate initiatives, waste management, training, and capacity building."
On March 6, Mehta held a meeting with Fiji Development Bank Chief Executive Officer, Filimone Waqabaca, to discuss opportunities for strengthening cooperation between the two nations in development finance, investment, and sustainable economic growth.
"High Commissioner Suneet Mehta met with Fiji Development Bank Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Filimone Waqabaca. The discussion focused on opportunities for strengthening India-Fiji cooperation in development finance, investment, and sustainable economic growth," the Indian High Commission in Fiji posted on X.
Last month, Union Minister of State for External Affairs, Pabitra Margherita, held a meeting with Fiji's Minister for Finance, Commerce, and Business Development, Esrom Immanuel, in New Delhi, discussing bilateral ties, shared priorities, and possibilities for cooperation in digital infrastructure.
"Pleased to meet Hon. Esrom Immanuel, Minister for Finance, Commerce and Business Development of Fiji, this morning. We had productive discussions covering the entire gamut of India-Fiji bilateral relations and shared priorities, with particular focus on development partnership, capacity building, and possibilities for cooperation in digital infrastructure, including ongoing collaboration and the way forward," Margherita posted on X.
The relationship between India and Fiji is based on mutual respect, cooperation, and strong cultural and people-to-people ties. The bilateral relationship received a major boost after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Fiji in November 2014, when the First Meeting of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) was also held, according to the Indian High Commission in Fiji.
Over the years, India has supported Fiji in its nation-building efforts across key sectors and also in the area of capacity building.