PM Modi To Embark On 3-Nation Visit Of Japan, Papua New Guinea, Australia From May 19

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Japan, Papua New Guinea and Australia from May 19 to 24.

He will be in Hiroshima from May 19 to 21 for the G7 summit. During the Summit, the Prime Minister will speak at G-7 sessions with partner countries, on subjects such as peace, stability and prosperity of a sustainable planet; and food, fertiliser and energy security, health, gender equality, climate change and environment, resilient infrastructure, and development cooperation, a statement from his office said.

PM Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio. He will also hold bilateral meetings with some of the other participating leaders on the sidelines of the Summit.

The Indian Prime Minister will then travel to Port Moresby where he will host the third summit of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation jointly with Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea James Marape on May 22.

"I will leave for Hiroshima, Japan to attend the G7 Summit under the Japanese Presidency at the invitation of H.E. Mr. Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan. It will be a pleasure to meet Prime Minister Kishida again after his recent visit to India for the India - Japan Summit. My presence in this G7 Summit is particularly meaningful as India holds the G20 Presidency this year.

I look forward to exchanging views with the G7 countries and other invited partners on challenges that the world faces and the need to collectively address them. I would also be holding bilateral meetings with some of the leaders attending the Hiroshima G7 Summit," the PM said in a statement.

The Prime Minister will then travel to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, where he will host the 3rd Summit of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC III Summit) jointly with Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea James Marape on 22 May 2023.

Launched in 2014, FIPIC involves India and 14 Pacific Island Countries (PICs), namely, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Prime Minister Modi will have bilateral engagements in Papua New Guinea, including meetings with Governor-General Sir Bob Dadae and Prime Minister James Marape. This will be the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Papua New Guinea.

Thereafter, Prime Minister Modi will visit Australia for a bilateral meeting with Australian PM Anthony Albanese despite the cancellation of the Quad leaders' meeting in Sydney.

The Australian PM recently cancelled the Quad leaders' meeting in Sydney as US President Joe Biden postponed his visit to Australia to focus on crucial debt-ceiling talks to prevent a catastrophic federal default.

Albanese, Modi, Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida were to attend the Quad Leaders' Summit.

Meanwhile, G7 partners including US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on Friday, on the sidelines of their summit.