India, Fiji Agree to Boost Defence Ties, Maritime Security and Indo-Pacific Cooperation

India and Fiji on Monday agreed to strengthen defence and security cooperation and work together for a peaceful and inclusive Indo-Pacific during talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Fijian counterpart Sitiveni Rabuka in New Delhi.

Rabuka, on a three-day visit to India, discussed with Modi ways to expand collaboration across defence, cyber security, agriculture, health and development. Modi said an action plan has been drawn up under which India will provide training, equipment and maritime support, including two sea ambulances, while also helping Fiji establish a cyber security training cell. An Indian naval ship will make a port call this year, and New Delhi will appoint a defence attaché in Suva to coordinate with Fiji and other Pacific Island states.

Both leaders underlined support for a “free, open, inclusive and secure Indo-Pacific” and pledged deeper counter-terrorism cooperation, condemning the April Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir. Modi hailed Rabuka’s vision of “Oceans of Peace,” calling it a forward-looking approach for regional stability.

The two sides also finalised agreements on healthcare, migration, skilling and trade, including plans for a 100-bed super-specialty hospital in Suva, supply of medicines, and initiatives in agriculture such as 12 agri-drones and two mobile soil testing labs.

India, which launched the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) in 2014, views Fiji as a key partner in the Pacific, where several Indian-origin communities live and where China has stepped up its presence.