Assam MP Pabitra Margherita to attend Pacific Islands Forum Leaders' meet in Tonga

Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs and Textiles, Pabitra Margherita will visit Tonga on August 28-29, 2024 to attend the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders' Meeting with Dialogue Partners. 

In a press release, the Ministry of External Affairs said that the meeting will be held as part of the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum and related meetings.

The MoS will also have high-level bilateral engagements with the Tongan leadership. 

The visit is set to reaffirm the strong commitment of both countries to further strengthen the bilateral partnership for progress and prosperity.

It must be mentioned the PIF is the apex intergovernmental organisation in the Pacific Region consisting of 18 members, namely, Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. 

India has been a Dialogue Partner of the Forum since 2002.

Following the third Summit of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) which was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2023 in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, the visit of MoS would provide an opportunity for leaders to engage with key decision-makers from all 14 FIPIC Countries and also meet other dialogue partners on the sidelines of the PIF Meeting, the release stated.

The participation of MoS at the 53rd PIF Leaders' Meeting in Tonga will be the first-ever at the Ministerial level from India in the PIF Meetings.