President Murmu will be in Fiji from Aug 5-7, will address Fijian Parliament: MEA

President Droupadi Murmu is set to embark on a three-nation visit next week, with her first leg starting from Fiji, where she will address the country’s parliament.

Her Fiji visit will kickstart on August 5, spanning three days till August 7. In Fiji, President Murmu will also hold bilateral meetings with the top leadership of the country.

“Firstly, President Murmu will visit Fiji, our special partner in the Pacific at the invitation of the President of Fiji —-President Murmu will be there between August 5-7. We have completed 75 years of our diplomatic presence in Fiji…During this visit, the President will hold a bilateral meeting with the President of Fiji, Wiliame Katonivere, and the Prime Minister of Fiji, Sitiveni Rabuka in Suva. In addition, the President will also address the Fijian Parliament and interact with the members of the Parliament,” Secretary East in the Ministry of External Affairs, Jaideep Mazumdar said during the special briefing of President Murmu’s upcoming State Visit to Fiji, New Zealand and Timor-Leste.

Secretary (East) further underlined the strong people-to-people ties that India shares with Fiji, describing the nation as a “special partner” in the Pacific. President Murmu will also have a community interaction in Suva, Mazumdar said.

“We have a very strong people-to-people ties with Fiji…Today, more than a third of the population in Fiji is of Indian ancestry, and they have preserved the languages, customs, and traditions from India while adding local flavor. An important aspect of the state visit will be the community interaction that the President will have in Suva. The visit confirms and reaffirms the strong commitment of India and Fiji to further strengthen our bilateral relations for the progress and prosperity of the peoples of our two countries,” the MEA Secretary said.

“India has been a strong development partner of Fiji having undertaken numerous projects as also offered lines of credit. We will also be setting up a 100-bed tertiary hospital in Suva, and that is something that was announced by our PM a few years ago, and we hope to implement that soon,” he added.

Giving further details of the three-nation visit of President Murmu, Mazumdar said, “The President will be first going to Fiji and then to New Zealand and then to Timor-Leste. With both Fiji and Timor-Leste, this would be the first-ever visit by the President of India. Therefore, it has a special significance. Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi enunciated his Act East policy, the region of Southeast Asia and the Pacific has been a very special focus for us. So all these three countries fall within our Act East policy.”

He further highlighted the significance of the President’s visit to New Zealand, and Timor Leste.

“With New Zealand also, we have a very old and strong partnership that we carry forward in our relations with the Pacific island countries. Timor Leste itself has been accepted as a member of ASEAN. It will become the 11th member of ASEAN…after it has completed its accession process. With Fiji, we have a very old and strong relationship. PM Modi launched the FIPIC (Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation) in 2014 from Fiji therefore it is a strong pillar of the relationship with the Pacific Islands,” the MEA Secretary said during the briefing.

President Murmu will undertake a State Visit to Fiji, New Zealand, and the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste from August 5-10, 2024 to strengthen bilateral ties between India and Pacific nations and reflect India’s focus on the Act East Policy.