On his maiden visit to the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Papua New Guinea counterpart James Marape and the island nation's Governor-General Bob Dadae stressed on strengthening the partnership between the two countries across multiple sectors.
Prime Minister Modi co-chaired the 3rd India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) Summit with the PM James Marape. Fourteen Pacific Island Countries (PICs) are participating in the summit.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, in a tweet, said, "PM Narendra Modi arrives at the iconic APEC House located on the shores of Ela Beach in Port Moresby. Warmly welcomed by PM James Marape. The two leaders will co-host the FIPIC III Summit, fostering regional cooperation.
Posting a photo of him shaking hands with Marape, PM Modi said on Twitter, "Prime Minister James Marape and I had very productive talks, covering the full range of bilateral relations between India and Papua New Guinea. We discussed ways to augment cooperation in commerce, technology, healthcare and in addressing climate change."
According to the MEA spokesperson, discussions between the two prime ministers covered a range of issues, including strengthening partnerships in multiple sectors, climate action as well as promoting people-to-people ties.
"Synergising India-Papua New Guinea relations. PM Narendra Modi held a fruitful bilateral meeting with PM James Marape. PM Modi expressed his appreciation to PM Marape for co-hosting the FIPIC III Summit in Port Moresby. Discussions covered strengthening partnership across sectors of trade and investment, health, capacity building and skill development and IT. Also discussed issues related to climate action and promoting people-to-people ties," he said.
While addressing the summit, Modi said that India is ready to share its experiences and capabilities with Pacific island countries without any hesitation. "India is proud to be your development partner. You can count on India as a reliable partner. We are ready to share our experiences and capabilities with you without hesitation. We believe in multilateralism and support a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific," he said.
PM Modi receives warm welcome
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday arrived in Papua New Guinea after the G7 summit in Japan and was received at the airport by Prime Minister James Marape who touched his feet as a mark of respect.
Normally Papua New Guinea doesn’t give a ceremonial welcome to any leader coming after sunset. But a special exception was made for Prime Minister Modi and a ceremonial welcome was accorded to him.
"A grand beginning of an important visit! PM @narendramodi arrives in Port Moresby on what is the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Papua New Guinea. Accorded a 19-gun salute, guard of honour & ceremonial welcome. As a special gesture, PM James Marape received PM Modi at the airport," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.
The prime minister was also warmly greeted by the Indian community.
FIPIC was launched during Modi's visit to Fiji in 2014. The summit will take place at a time when China is making efforts to enhance its military and diplomatic influence in the region.
(With inputs from PTI)
