Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has extended an invite to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to visit Fiji at a time convenient to him.
He made the statement after holding a successful round of talks with India’s Minister of External Affairs, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, in Suva yesterday.
Both countries yesterday affirmed its decades-long relationship and took time to renew its ties and discuss significant areas and avenues for investment, collaboration and cooperation.
According to Mr Rabuka, Dr Jaishankar’s visit to Fiji symbolised the warm and long-standing friendly relations, mutual respect, goodwill and strong people-to-people ties shared between the two nations.
“India had stood by us in times of great need. We have worked shoulder to shoulder to overcome the challenges posed by climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
“For this, we are forever grateful to the Government and the people of India for supporting us through the provisions of lifesaving vaccines, humanitarian assistance, among other initiatives in our collective efforts to build back better from the global challenges.”
He also voiced keenness for Fiji to host high level conferences such as the 12th World Hindi Conference in the future.
Mr Rabuka also congratulated India on its successful candidature for the G20 Presidency and added it was a grand opportunity for the two nations to work collaboratively towards mitigating global challenges and building a sustainable future.
“I am pleased to say, India will always be a special friend and trusted partner to Fiji.
“Together we have built a robust multifaceted partnership which covers cooperation in all major areas of nation building including agriculture, education, health, climate change and development of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) with a special focus on training, capacity building and capability development.”
