Jaishankar hosts FIPIC Foreign Ministers’ meeting in New York

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Wednesday hosted the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of the Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) in New York.

In a post on X, Jaishankar said he was “delighted” to convene the gathering and highlighted the progress of the 12-point action plan unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the FIPIC-III Summit earlier this year.

“Glad to note that the 12-point action plan announced by PM @narendramodi at the FIPIC-III Summit is progressing well,” he wrote.

Underscoring India’s partnership with Pacific Island nations, Jaishankar said the shared agenda is “people-centric and focused on health, technology, capacity building and training”.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session, reflecting India’s commitment to strengthening ties with the Pacific region.

FIPIC is a multinational grouping developed in 2014 for cooperation between India and 14 Pacific Islands nations, which include Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

It was launched during PM Modi’s visit to Fiji in November 2014.

India’s focus has largely been on the Indian Ocean where it has sought to play a major role and protect its strategic and commercial interests. The FIPIC initiative marked a serious effort to expand India’s engagement in the Pacific region.