Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday arrived in Papua New Guinea where he will host the third summit of the Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) on May 22 jointly with his counterpart James Marape.
Modi's visit to Papua New Guinea on the second leg of his three-nation tour is the first ever by any Indian prime minister.
He arrived here from Japan where he attended the summit of the G7 advanced economies and held bilateral meetings with several world leaders.
Modi and Marape will host the third summit of the Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) on Monday.
"I am grateful that all 14 Pacific Island Countries (PIC) have accepted the invitation to attend this important summit (FIPIC)," Modi had said earlier.
PM Modi was welcomed by Marape at the airport and the latter even touched the Indian leader's feet 'as a mark of respect'.
"Reached Papua New Guinea. I am thankful to PM James Marape for coming to the airport and welcoming me. This is a very special gesture which I will always remember. I look forward to boosting India’s ties with this great nation during my visit," PM Modi tweeted.
"As a mark of respect, the PM of Papua New Guinea touches the feet of PM Modi!" the BJP tweeted.
FIPIC was launched during his visit to Fiji in 2014.
The FIPIC Summit will see participation from leaders of 14 countries. Normally all of them rarely converge together due to connectivity and other issues.
PIC includes Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
Modi will also hold bilateral talks with Marape and meet Bob Dadae, the Governor General of Papua New Guinea.
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