New Delhi [India], September 15 (ANI): Suneet Mehta, presently High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Fiji, has been concurrently accredited as the next High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Kiribati, with residence in Suva, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a release on Monday.

He is expected to take up the assignment shortly.

Mehta is an Indian Foreign Service officer of the 2007 batch.

The High Commission of India in Suva noted that Kiribati has been under its concurrent accreditation since October 2011, after the responsibility was shifted from the High Commission in Wellington, which had been concurrently accredited to Kiribati since September 1992.

On high-level exchanges, the High Commission noted that the Forum for India-Pacific Island Countries (FIPIC) was inaugurated on 19 November 2014 in Suva. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted the first Summit of the Forum during his visit, which saw the participation of 14 Pacific Island Countries. The Kiribati delegation was led by then President Anote Tong.

As a follow-up, FIPIC-II was organised in Jaipur on 21 August 2015, hosted by Prime Minister Modi. The Kiribati delegation was led by Teekoa Luta, Advisor on Asia. The High Commission said the third FIPIC Summit was held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on 22 May 2023, hosted by Prime Minister Modi and Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape, with the Kiribati delegation led by President Taneti Maamau.

On 24 September 2019, on the sidelines of the UNGA, Prime Minister Modi also held an interaction with leaders of the Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS). According to the High Commission of India in Suva, this was the first of its kind and was to be followed up with the third FIPIC Summit in 2020.

The High Commission further stated that India organised the India-Pacific Islands Sustainable Development Conference in Suva on 25-26 May 2017, hosted by Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh. Tekena Tiroa, Member of Parliament, led the Kiribati delegation. Kiribati has also become one of the founding members of the International Solar Alliance, with Minister Ruateki Tekaiara attending the Founding Conference in New Delhi on 11 March 2018.

Other visits included President Anote Tong's participation in the Delhi Sustainable Development Summits in 2012 and 2013, Vice President Teima Onorio's visit to New Delhi in October 2013 for the Second High-Level Meeting on South-South Cooperation for Child Rights, and a 2016 health delegation led by Minister Kobebe Taitai. Ruateki Tekaiara also attended the second ISA Assembly in New Delhi on 31 October 2019.

The High Commission said India has provided annual grants for community development projects in Kiribati and extended training slots under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme, including for diplomats at the Foreign Service Institute. A grant of USD 1.1 million was extended on 6 December 2017 for solar lighting of the South Tarawa district.

Cultural ties have also grown, with the Odissi Dance Group led by Meera Das performing in Tarawa in November 2017 as part of the Namaste Pacifika Festival of India. The High Commission of India in Suva added that the International Day of Yoga has been celebrated enthusiastically in Kiribati since 2015, with participation from leaders and dignitaries, including the President and First Lady. The ninth IDY was observed in Tarawa on 21 June 2023 with around 50 participants. (ANI)