Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been conferred with the highest honours by Fiji and Papua New Guinea on 22nd May for his global leadership and championing the cause of the Global South. 

PM Modi was conferred with the Fiji’s highest civilian award “Companion of the Order of Fiji” by his counterpart Sitiveni Rabuka during his visit to the island nation. Only a handful of non-Fijians have received this honour till date.  

The prime minister was also conferred with “Companion of the Order of Logohu” during his recent visit to Papua New Guinea to attend the third summit of Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) Summit. Forum for India-Pacific Islands cooperation (FIPIC) is a multinational grouping developed in 2014 for cooperation between India and 14 Pacific Islands nations. This year's edition of the summit witnessed the participation of all 14 Pacific Island Countries (PICs).

The discussions encompassed various areas of cooperation, including commerce, technology, healthcare, and climate change. Prime Minister Modi described the talks as fruitful, emphasizing that they encompassed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations between India and Papua New Guinea. Additionally, both leaders unveiled a translated version of the Tamil classic 'Thirukkural' in the Tok Pisin language of Papua New Guinea. The book launch was jointly conducted by the Prime Ministers of India and Papua New Guinea and co-authored by Subha Sasindran and Governor Sasindran Muthuvel of West New Britain Province.

The award was given to Modi for championing the cause of unity of Pacific Island countries and spearheading the cause of Global South, officials said.  PM Modi has been bestowed with several honorary awards from various countries including the US, Russia and Middle East during 9 years of his tenure. 

Modi also held a meeting with H.E. Mr. Chris Hipkins, Prime Minister of New Zealand on 22 May 2023 in Port Moresby, on the sidelines of the 3rd Summit of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC). This was the first interaction between the two Prime Ministers. 

The two leaders discussed ongoing bilateral cooperation initiatives, and agreed to expand cooperation in various sectors including trade & commerce, education, information technology, tourism, culture, sports and people to people ties. 

Taking to Twitter, PM Modi wrote, “Had an excellent meeting with New Zealand PM Chris Hipkins and discussed the full range of India-NZ relations.” He further added, “We talked about how to improve commercial and cultural linkages between our nations.” 

Image Source: Mint