[Source: Fiji Government/ Facebook]

Fiji and India have a deep and longstanding diplomatic relationship, as highlighted by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka during an event commemorating 75 years of India’s diplomatic presence in Fiji.

Rabuka emphasizes the significance of the younger generation of Indian origin in preserving the shared history between Fiji and India, dating back to the arrival of the Girmitiya laborers in 1879 and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations in 1948.

The Prime Minister says Diwali festival is one of many great homages that Fiji pays annually to India for a relationship that continues to grow from strength to strength.

“Continue to celebrate, continue to encourage young people to grab the values, get the values inculcated in them so that they become life values that they grow up to be responsible citizens of this great land you now call home. We all call home.”

Rabuka commended the Fiji India Friendship Forum, which was established in 2017 as a beacon of unity between the two nations.

“It has nurtured and developed our cultural exchange between our two great nations, we have profound connection and our diplomatic ties have been tested over the years and have proven very, very strong and firm.”

India’s High Commissioner to Fiji Palaniswamy Karthigeyan says as a tribute to two country’s long-standing relationships, India remains committed to socio-economic development in Fiji.

“Going forward, I am very confident that together with the Fijian government and all the stakeholders on this side, we will be able to fully unlock the immense potential that is in our relationship for the mutual benefit of people of both the countries.”

Karthigeyan says in the last one year alone, the Indian government has made substantial engagements to improving the lives of Fijians with more development projects lined up in the areas of health, agriculture and technology.