On May 21, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the capital Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) to attend a summit with leaders of Pacific island nations, while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will also arrive in the city a day later.
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| Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (4th from left) poses for a photo with leaders at the India-Pacific Islands Cooperation Forum on May 22 in Papua New Guinea. (Source: AFP) |
This is the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Papua New Guinea, amid growing competition for influence in the South Pacific region between the US and China.
On May 22, the Indian Prime Minister attended the India-Pacific Islands Cooperation Forum meeting with 14 leaders of the region.
At the meeting, Mr. Modi affirmed that India will be a reliable partner of small island nations in the difficult context of supply chain disruptions and climate change, and committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
Earlier on his personal social networking page, Mr. Modi said he discussed "ways to enhance cooperation on trade, technology, healthcare and addressing climate change" with Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape at a bilateral meeting on May 22.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Blinken is also scheduled to hold a meeting with leaders of Pacific island nations today in Papua New Guinea.
For Papua New Guinea, a country that US President Joe Biden planned to visit during this time but later had to cancel the trip, Mr. Blinken will sign the Defense Cooperation Agreement between Washington and Port Moresby.
The US will provide $45 million in new funds to work with Papua New Guinea to strengthen economic and security cooperation, including protective equipment for the island nation’s defense forces, climate change mitigation and tackling transnational crime and HIV/AIDS, according to the State Department.
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