President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursady said India is keen to work with Pacific Island Countries in harnessing their mineral, marine and hydrocarbon resources.
Addressing the Heads of States from Pacific Island countries who converged in India for the second summit of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Co-operation (FIPIC) at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Mukherjee said these countries are generously endowed with natural resources and India would be happy to work with these countries in harnessing these resources.
“We would be happy to work with you in harnessing your mineral, marine and hydrocarbon resources. Our Government and private sector are keen to strengthen and diversify our bilateral trade and encourage investments in fisheries, agriculture, oil and natural gas, mining and water desalination,” the President said.
The island nations participating in the FIPIC summit include Fiji, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Micronesia, Solomon Islands, Tonga.
The President said it would be in the interest of all FIPIC members to identify their complementarities so that we can focus our efforts on those.
“Towards this end, India's annual grant-in-aid to each Pacific Island Country has been enhanced from US$125,000 to US$200,000 last year. We hope this will support specific projects prioritised by you,” he said.
Mukherjee also highlighted the challenges faced by India and pacific countries due to climate change.
“...Like you, we are confronted with serious challenges in preserving our fragile ecosystems while stimulating growth. We believe that the sharing of best practices and eco-friendly technologies among our countries will greatly help us all to collaborate in obtaining finances and technology transfers required to combat the impact of climate change,” he said.
Expressing willingness to work with Pacific Island countries in environment conservation, Mukherjee said India has launched a number of domestic measures including carbon pricing, incentivising afforestation, expanding the use of low carbon and renewable technologies and improving energy efficiency in all sectors.
Thanking the countries for the support shown by them for India's permanent membership of UN-Security-Council, Mukherjee said this year marks the 70th anniversary of the UN.
“UNSC reform and expansion will be discussed and concrete proposals are expected to be considered in the forthcoming UNGA session next month. An inter-governmental negotiating text is already on the table, for which we need your support,” he said.
Mukherjee said India is glad that the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation programme, the ICCR scholarships, the special training modules organised by Foreign Service Institute are being availed by their citizens.
“Even though India is separated from the Pacific Island Countries by oceans and continents, we are proud to have a long tradition of close friendship with you. Our peoples are bound by our centuries-old trade and cultural linkages that have contributed to the trust and warmth in our relations,” Mukherjee said.
He said India particularly appreciates the way that these nations have made the Indian diaspora feel comfortable and secure in distant lands.
“Our Government attaches great importance to its relations with our friends in the Pacific Island Countries. We believe our economic linkages and co-operation with your countries are a key factor in India's extended 'Act East' policy,” he said.
Mukherjee said the establishment of this Forum reflects the desire of all its member countries to build an enduring partnership between our nations and our peoples.
“We propose to enhance our engagement in the sectors where our interests converge - such as human resource development, capacity building, healthcare, affordable clean and renewable energy, adaptation measures for disaster management and infrastructure development,” he said.