Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: INDIA will provide training and equipment to upgrade Fiji’s maritime security, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on August 25. Welcoming visiting Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, Modi said India and Fiji “strongly support a free, open” Indo-Pacific region as both sides declared that India would work to build capacity for the armed forces of Fiji.
“In our cooperation with the Pacific island nations, we see Fiji as a hub. Both our countries strongly support a free, open, inclusive, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific. We warmly welcome India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative,” Mr. Modi said, announcing the collaboration between India and the Fijian military forces.
A joint statement issued at the end of the consultation said the two sides emphasised the importance of their “shared interests in advancing regional peace, stability, and prosperity”.
The two sides agreed to work together on U.N. peacekeeping operations, military medicine, the White Shipping Information Exchange, and capacitybuilding for Fijian military forces. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Rabuka emphasised the need to protect Fiji’s Exclusive Economic Zone and welcomed India’s assurance to assist with Fiji’s security needs.
“Prime Minister Rabuka welcomed the planned port call by an Indian naval ship to Fiji, which will enhance maritime cooperation and interoperability,” the joint statement said.
Mr. Modi also announced the gifting of two ambulances to Fiji’s military forces and the inauguration of the defence wing in the High Commission of India in the Fijian capital, Suva. The two sides also agreed to enhance cooperation in cybersecurity and welcomed the setting up of a cybersecurity training cell in Fiji.
