India-Fiji relations | India Writes

India & Fiji: A Pacific Bonding

November 18, 2014November 19, 2014 - by Manish Chand

Call it the Pacific Bonding, if you like. The multi-hued ties between India and Fiji are set to get a new sparkle as Suva rolls out the red carpet for India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 29. This will be the first prime ministerial visit from India to Fiji after Indira Gandhi visited the Pacific nation 33 years ago in 1981.
The timing of the visit is propitious as Mr Modi visits the island nation weeks after Fiji held multi-party elections, which was judged as largely free and fair by the international community. India has welcomed Fiji’s re-embrace of democracy and backed the election process by providing indelible ink and training. India also participated in the Multilateral Observer Group (MOG) for the Fiji elections as co-Chair (with Australia and Indonesia).
Fittingly, Prime Minister Modi’s 10-day overseas trip that included big-ticket multilateral summits and dozens of bilateral meetings in Myanmar and Australia ends with Fiji and meetings with leaders of small but significant Pacific island nations that are set to loom large on India’s diplomatic agenda in days to come.

Why PM Modi’s voyage to Fiji matters

October 27, 2014October 27, 2014 - by Shubha Singh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Fiji Islands would be an enormous boost for the Indian diasporic community and will underline increased warmth in Fiji’s ties with India. The scenic South Pacific island nation, which advertises itself as a ticket to happiness, is basking in the glow of restored democratic governance after a watershed election on September 17. After eight years of military rule, Fiji held elections under a new constitution and a new electoral system that guaranteed equality to all its citizens.
When Prime Minister Modi lands in Suva, the picturesque capital of Fiji, he will be the first Indian head of government to do so in over three decades; the last Indian prime minister to visit the island nation was Indira Gandhi in 1981.
Fiji’s Prime Minister Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama was among the first world leaders to congratulate Mr Modi after the Bharatiya Janata Party won the national elections in May 2014. “I am confident that the true spirit of friendship and cooperation that provides the unbreakable bond between our two nations and its people will be further strengthened in the years ahead,” Bainimarama had said as he invited the Indian leader to visit Fiji at an early date. Modi had tweeted in response: “We will make India-Fiji relations stronger in the coming years.”