On August 21, India will host the heads of 14 island nations at the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC), in what is seen as a first step towards greater engagement with the region, which is important from an economic and geostrategic standpoint.
The upcoming summit in Jaipur is expected to pave the way for agreements in agriculture, food processing, fisheries, solar energy, e-networks for coordination in telemedicine and tele-education, space cooperation and climate change, all of which were mentioned as areas of potential cooperation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Fiji in 2014.
Mr Modi had then proposed that FIPIC summits be held regularly. He had set the ball rolling for reinforcing ties with the island nations by announcing visa on arrival for their nationals, funds for small business, line of credit for a co-generation power plant for Fiji, and a special adaptation fund for technical assistance and capacity building for countering global warming.
Highlights
- T.P. Sreenivasan, a former diplomat who served as the head of Mission in Fiji and seven other South Pacific Island States between 1986 and 1989, told The Hindu that India’s strong relations with Fiji, which has considerable influence in the region, was a “strong point” which could help counter the growing Chinese influence.
- Most of the economies in the region are based on agriculture, fisheries and small-scale industries and India’s capacity in these sectors are even better than Europe and China; it can cultivate relations with the island nations based on its technology.
- Even small investments will make a big impact in these regions; many of these countries send their nationals to India for education through programmes sponsored by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations, so India should make a beginning.
- He said relations with Fiji had improved in India’s favour in the past decade and not only those of Indian origin but also Fijians were friendly towards Indians, which worked to New Delhi’s “advantage”.
Expected Questions
Name the former diplomat who served as the head of Mission in Fiji and seven other South Pacific Island States between 1986 and 1989.
–T.P. Sreenivasan
