On 21st May 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Papua New Guinea after attending the G7 meeting in Japan. While receiving him at the airport, Papua New Guinea’s prime minister James Marape displayed a surprising gesture by touching his feet. This was followed by a hug between the two counterparts, after which PM Modi was introduced to other officials.
#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Papua New Guinea for the second leg of his three-nation visit after concluding his visit to Japan. He was received by Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea James Marape. pic.twitter.com/U94yUQ2aCl
— ANI (@ANI) May 21, 2023
Prime Minister Modi received a very warm welcome in the island country as he became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the nation. The Indians in Papua New Guinea were seen cheering on and clicking selfies with the Prime Minister. Many Indians, at this time, raised slogans like ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, and ‘Har Har Modi, Ghar Ghar Modi’.
#WATCH | People from the Indian diaspora welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he arrives in Papua New Guinea. pic.twitter.com/O2DfVjSRyd
— ANI (@ANI) May 21, 2023
After concluding his visit to Japan for the G7 advanced economies summit, Prime Minister Modi departed the country on Sunday. Papua New Guinea is the second country in his three-nation tour. Australia is the third country on the list. Before leaving for the tour, PM Modi released a statement in which he shared information about the schedule of his tour.
About his visit to Papua New Guinea, he said in the statement, “From Japan, I will be visiting Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. This will be my first visit, as also the first-ever visit by any Indian Prime Minister, to Papua New Guinea. I will host on 22 May 2023 the 3rd Summit of the Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC III Summit) jointly with Mr James Marape, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea. I am grateful that all 14 Pacific Island Countries (PIC) have accepted the invitation to attend this important Summit. FIPIC had been launched during my visit to Fiji in 2014, and I look forward to engaging with the PIC Leaders on issues that bring us together, such as climate change and sustainable development, capacity building and training, health and well-being, infrastructure and economic development.”
He added, “Apart from the FIPIC engagements, I look forward to my bilateral interactions with Papua New Guinea Governor-General Sir Bob Dadae, Prime Minister Marape and some of the other PIC Leaders participating in the Summit.”
After Papua New Guinea, PM Modi will travel to Australia. Sharing information about that, he said in the statement, “I will be travelling to Sydney, Australia at the invitation of Prime Minister Albanese. I look forward to our bilateral meeting, which will be an opportunity to take stock of our bilateral ties and follow up on our first India-Australia Annual Summit held in New Delhi in March this year. I will also interact with Australian CEOs and business leaders, and meet the Indian community in Sydney at a special event.”
Papua New Guinea is an island nation located north of Australia, occupying the eastern half of New Guinea island, along with several smaller islands in the Melanesia region in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The western half of the New Guinea island is part of Indonesia.
