Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarks tomorrow morning for Japan, where he will attend the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, even as a meeting of the Quad Summit is being scheduled there. He proceeds to Papua New Guinea to co-chair the Third Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC III Summit) in Port Moresby, with Sydney being the last stop where he will participate in a bilateral with Australian PM Anthony Albanese, attend a business event and address a mega diaspora event.
Announcing Prime Minister Modi’s schedule at a special briefing, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said that PM Modi will hold a number of bilateral meetings in Hiroshima, while a bilateral with Japanese PM Fumio Kishida is being scheduled on the sidelines of the G7. While in Hiroshima, PM Modi will also unveil a bust of Mahatma Gandhi.
“We are also planning a Quad Leaders’ meeting in Hiroshima,” the Foreign Secretary said.
On Wednesday, Australia announced cancellation of the Quad Summit scheduled in Sydney after US President Joe Biden called off his visit due to domestic compulsions. The leaders of Quad nations, Japan, India, Australia and US are set to meet in Hiroshima instead.
Eight guest nations, including India, Brazil, Australia, Comoros, the Cook Islands, Indonesia, South Korea and Vietnam are attending the G7.
PM Modi will attend three formal sessions, two on May 20 and one the following day. The first session will be on food, health, development and gender equality, the second on climate, energy and environment, while on May 21, he will attend the session on Towards a Peaceful, Stable and Prosperous World, the FS said.
“India’s regular participation in the G7 summits clearly points to increasing recognition that India should be a part of any serious effort to resolve global challenges, including those of peace, security and environment preservation,” FS Kwatra said.
Ahead of the summit, India has participated in G7 ministerial level meetings, on climate, energy and environment, and digital tech and finance, he added.
On the second leg of his visit, the PM will visit Papua New Guinea for co-chairing the Third Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC III Summit) in Port Moresby, along with PNG Prime Minister James Marape on May 22. He will also hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines with several of the 14 FIPIC members as well as with New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins. This is PM Modi’s first visit to Papua New Guinea. The FIPIC summit is being jointly hosted by India and PNG.
He will arrive in Port Moresby on May 21 evening from Hiroshima. The following morning, PM Modi will meet PNG Governor-General Sir Bob Dadae and also hold a bilateral meeting with PM James Marape.
PM will also hold a bilateral with the PM of Fiji Sitiveni Rabuka, who came to power in December last year.
PM Modi had launched the Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) during his visit to Fiji in 2014. The Second FIPIC summit was held in Jaipur in 2015.
FIPIC involves India and 14 Pacific Island Countries (PICs), namely, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Samoa, Vanuatu, Niue, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Marshall Islands, Cook Islands, Palau, Nauru and Solomon Islands.
On the third leg of his tour, PM Modi will travel to Sydney from May 22-24, where he will hold a bilateral with PM Anthony Albanese. This will be their fifth meeting this year. The Australian PM was in India in March for the first annual summit. PM Modi will also call on the Governor General David Hurley, and attend a business event with leading CEOs of Australia. PM Modi will address the Indian diaspora at an event on May 23. The Australian Prime Minister is expected to join the community event, FS said.
PM Modi last visited Australia in November 2014.
