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In an important step in taking forward defence cooperation between India and Papua New Guinea (PNG), PNG appointed its first defence adviser to India. Col Edison Napyo, who will serve as the defence adviser was given a farewell on April 17 by the PNG’s acting Chief of Defence Force Commodore Philip Polewara.
In May 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited PNG and attended the third summit of the Forum for India Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) where he spoke in favour of free and open Indo-Pacific region and focused on India’s commitment to assist the development goals of the member countries of FIPIC.
“At his farewell, Commodore Polewara presented Col Napyo with a PNG flag and urged him to represent the country well. He urged Col Napyo to provide an effective link between the armed forces so that opportunities for training and diplomatic engagements can be realised and effectively implemented,” a statement issued by Commodore Polewara’s office on Monday said.
India and PNG formalised diplomatic relations in 1976.
Col Napyo said the appointment came with a huge responsibility and he was determined to meet his obligations as his service to the country, according to the statement.
In a coinciding development, Chinese Foreign Minister Wanh Yi visited PNG over the weekend and the two countries are presently conducting a feasibility study for a free trade agreement.
Last August, in a rare diplomatic gesture, the Prime Minister of PNG James Marape visited the two Indian Naval ships that made a port call at Port Moresby and called for more such naval visits and increased defence cooperation. The two frontline warships under the Eastern Naval Command, INS Sahyadri and INS Kolkata, visited PNG as India sharpens its focus on the Pacific.
During his visit, Mr. Modi termed the small Island nations of the Pacific Ocean as “large ocean states” and stated that New Delhi will continue to help the Pacific island states in “every possible” way.
In July 2023, during Mr. Modi’s visit to Paris, India and France had agreed to “expand cooperation” in the Pacific as they also adopted a roadmap for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
The Pacific Island nations have been in focus of late as China signed a security agreement last year with the Solomon Islands while the U.S. and PNG concluded a defence partnership agreement.
The FIPIC consists of Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Palau, PNG, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
