New Delhi, Aug 22: The Prime Minister of Fiji, Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, will pay a visit to India from August 24-26 with a delegation of senior officials.This will be his first visit to India, and he is set to hold talks with PM Modi and call upon President Murmu during his visit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in an official statement on Thursday.
As per the MEA, Fiji PM Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka will be accompanied by his spouse, Sulueti Rabuka. The delegation will include the Minister of Health and Medical Services, Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu and senior officials.
MEA said that this would be the first visit to India by Prime Minister Rabuka in his present capacity. During his visit to New Delhi, Prime Minister Rabuka is scheduled to hold talks with PM Modi on 25 August 2025.
Prime Minister Modi will host a lunch in his honour. PM Rabuka is scheduled to call on President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi. Significantly, President Murmu had paid a visit to Fiji in August 2024.
The Fiji PM is expected to deliver a talk on ‘Ocean of Peace’ at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), in New Delhi, as noted by the MEA.
MEA highlighted that PM Rabuka’s visit underscores the longstanding and enduring ties between India and Fiji. It reaffirms the continued commitment of both countries to further strengthen the bilateral relationship across all sectors and deepen our close people-to-people ties.
India-Fiji relations are based on mutual respect, cooperation and strong cultural and people-to-people ties. MEA, in a previous statement, highlighted that over the years, as a major development partner of Fiji, India has supported Fiji in its nation-building efforts across key sectors and in the area of capacity building.
The visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to Fiji on 19 November 2014 was a watershed moment not only for India-Fiji relations but also for India’s relations with all the Pacific Island Countries.
During the visit three MoUs were signed with Fiji: MoU for Extending a Line of Credit for Establishing a Co-Generation Plant in Fiji, MoU on Cooperation in the field of training of diplomats, and MoU on the Earmarking of Land for their Diplomatic Missions in the respective Capitals.