♤ In 2016, the state visit by President Pranab Mukherjee to Papua New Guinea (PNG) and

New Zealand marked an important milestone in India’s extended ‘Act East’ policy.

♤ India has participated in Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), meetings as one of the 17 dialogue partners (including US, EU and China).

♤ The Forum for India Pacific Cooperation (FIPIC) initiative marks a serious effort to expand

India’s engagement in the Pacific region.

4.2.1. India and Pacific Island Countries: FIPIC

♤ Forum for India Pacific Cooperation (FIPIC) includes 14 of the island countries – Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. It was launched during the visit of Prime Minister Modi to Fiji in November 2014.

♤ The second summit of the Forum for India Pacific Cooperation (FIPIC-2) was organised in