Jaishankar co-chairs India-FIPIC Foreign Ministers’ meeting

• Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar co-chaired the India-FIPIC (Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation) Foreign Ministers’ meeting at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN on the margins of the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly.

• This was the second Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held under the FIPIC framework.

• The meeting witnessed high-level participation from the Pacific Island Countries (PIC).

• The ministers reviewed the outcomes of the FIPIC Summits and welcomed progress in India-PIC cooperation, including under the 12-Point Action Plan announced in 2023 by Prime Minister  Narendra Modi.

What is FIPIC?

• Establishment: Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) is a multinational grouping established in 2014.

• Purpose: It aims to foster cooperation between India and 14 Pacific Island nations.

• Member Countries: The 14 members are Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

• Strategic Importance: While small in land area, these nations have large Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), offering significant opportunities for cooperation.

• The FIPIC initiative is a key part of India’s effort to expand its engagement beyond the Indian Ocean into the Pacific region.

• Policy Linkage: India’s engagement with the PICs is a crucial component of its “Act East Policy”.

• Nature of Cooperation: A major part of the cooperation is focused on development assistance under the South-South Cooperation framework. This includes capacity-building initiatives and community development projects.