Minister of State for External Affairs, Pabitra Margarita, has concluded his eight-day official visit to three nations on Tuesday. The journey began on January 14th in the Southeast Asian country of the Philippines and ended in the Western Pacific region with the Pacific Island countries of the Republic of Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). During this time, the minister met with the top leadership of all three nations and held constructive discussions to strengthen bilateral relations with India.
This visit is considered historic, as it marked the first ministerial visit from India to Micronesia. Before this, Margarita attended the swearing-in ceremony of the Republic of Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr. for his second term on Thursday. Margarita’s extensive overseas tour began with a meeting with Philippine President Bongbong Marcos, where they had fruitful discussions to further enhance India-Philippines partnership.
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said, “The visit of Minister of State to the region is expected to further strengthen and deepen India’s traditionally close partnership with the Philippines, Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) as part of India’s Act East Policy and our vision of the Indo-Pacific.”
