Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a traditional welcome as he arrived in Papua New Guinea. His visit to the island nation is the first ever by any Indian prime minister.
A large crowd of the Indian diaspora greeted him as he arrived at his hotel. The PM shook hands with expats and even interacted with some of them.
PM Modi will host the third summit of the Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation on May 22 jointly with his counterpart James Marape.
FIPIC was launched during his visit to Fiji in 2014.
The FIPIC Summit will see participation from leaders of 14 countries. Normally all of them rarely converge together due to connectivity and other issues.
PIC includes Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, the Republic of Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
Modi will also hold bilateral talks with Marape and meet Bob Dadae, the Governor General of Papua New Guinea.
(with PTI inputs)