NEW DELHI: India and Fiji agreed to further expand bilateral defence cooperation in areas including military training, maritime security, cyber training and defence industry collaboration at the second India–Fiji Bilateral Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting held in New Delhi on Monday.
The two sides discussed a broad range of areas of mutual interest, including military training and capacity building, service-to-service engagements, maritime security, cyber training, defence industry collaboration and institutional cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries.
India reiterated the importance it attaches to Fiji and the Pacific Island Countries under its vision of a free, open, inclusive and secure Indo-Pacific.
Both sides expressed satisfaction with the expansion of bilateral defence engagements and reaffirmed their commitment to developing cooperation in mutually beneficial areas.
The meeting was co-chaired by Amitabh Prasad, Joint Secretary (International Cooperation), Ministry of Defence, and Mason Smith, Permanent Secretary for Defence & Veterans Affairs, Fiji.
Smith also met Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on the sidelines of the JWG meeting. The discussions covered bilateral defence and maritime cooperation, including opportunities for greater collaboration in the defence industry.
As part of efforts to expand specialised military training, the Fijian delegation is scheduled to visit Kochi on September 29 and 30. During the visit, the delegation will inspect facilities at the Southern Naval Command as part of efforts to formalise advanced naval training cooperation and professional aviation training modules.
The proposed training cooperation is aimed at enhancing technical proficiency and operational coordination between the two maritime forces.
Before the bilateral talks, Smith paid tribute to Indian soldiers who lost their lives in service at the National War Memorial in New Delhi.
The Fijian delegation also visited DPSU Bhavan at the World Trade Centre, New Delhi, where it was briefed on India’s indigenous defence manufacturing capabilities.
The visit included exhibition displays and Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) simulation facilities designed to replicate battlefield conditions. The delegation was briefed on developments in indigenous defence manufacturing under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
India and Fiji share close relations supported by historical, cultural and people-to-people ties. The JWG meeting provided a platform to review existing defence engagements and identify additional areas for cooperation.
Both sides agreed to maintain regular institutional engagements and work towards further strengthening bilateral defence cooperation.
