FIPIC

• PM Modi called Small Island nations of the Pacific Ocean as “large ocean states”, recently highlighting the importance of the 14 members of the Forum for India Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC).
• The 3^rd forum for India-Pacific islands co-operation (FIPIC Summit) was held at Port Moresby
  • It was jointly hosted by India with Papua New Guinea.

ABOUT FORUM FOR INDIA-PACIFIC ISLANDS COOPERATION (FIPIC)

• FIPIC is a multinational grouping for cooperation between India and 14 Pacific Islands nations. These are-
  • Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu and
• FIPIC, or the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation, was established by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2014.
• The FIPIC initiative marks a serious effort to expand India’s engagement in the Pacific region.
• A major part of India’s engagement with these countries is through development assistance under South-South Cooperation, mainly in capacity building (training, scholarships, grant-in-aid and loan assistance) and community development projects.