India has reiterated the importance accorded to Fiji and the Pacific Island Countries in its vision of a free, open, inclusive and secure Indo-Pacific during the second India-Fiji Bilateral Joint Working Group meeting, held in New Delhi today. The meeting was co-chaired by Joint Secretary (International Cooperation), Ministry of Defence Amitabh Prasad and Permanent Secretary for Defence and Veterans Affairs of Fiji Mason Smith.

 

The two countries held discussions on a wide range of areas of mutual interest, including military training and capacity building, service-to-service engagements, maritime security, cyber training, defence industry collaboration and enhanced institutional cooperation between the Armed Forces of India and Fiji. The meeting provided an opportunity to consolidate the existing defence partnership and identify new avenues for cooperation. Both sides agreed to maintain regular engagements and work towards further deepening bilateral defence cooperation. They also expressed satisfaction at the growing bilateral defence engagements and reaffirmed their commitment to further expanding cooperation in mutually beneficial areas.