MoS Pabitra Margherita meets Samoa PM to strengthen India-Pacific ties
Synopsis
India's MoS for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita is on a rare three-nation Pacific tour — Samoa, Cook Islands, and Naoero — a signal that New Delhi is doubling down on FIPIC as a strategic tool in the Indo-Pacific. The Apia visit, complete with a traditional 'ava ceremony', puts India's development-partnership diplomacy on full display in a region where major powers are actively competing for influence.
Key Takeaways
MoS Pabitra Margherita met Samoa PM La'auli Leuatea Schmidt in Apia on 16 October 2026 .
Talks covered India-Samoa development partnership , capacity building , and advancing shared bilateral priorities.
Margherita was received with a traditional 'ava ceremony' by the Samoan PM and his Cabinet.
The visit covers three Pacific Island nations — Samoa , the Cook Islands , and Naoero — from 16–22 October .
The tour operates under the FIPIC framework and builds on the 3rd FIPIC Summit held in Port Moresby in May 2023 .
Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita on Friday, 16 October 2026, held a bilateral meeting with Samoa's Prime Minister La'auli Leuatea Schmidt in Apia, discussing the deepening of India-Samoa relations and advancing shared development priorities, including capacity building and development partnership. The meeting marks the first leg of Margherita's three-nation Pacific Island tour spanning 16–22 October.
A Warm Welcome and Bilateral Exchange
The Samoan Prime Minister and his Cabinet received MoS Margherita with a traditional 'ava ceremony' — a cultural ritual symbolising respect, unity, friendship, and hospitality. Margherita described the welcome as reflecting the enduring warmth between the two nations. 'India deeply values this warm gesture and our enduring friendship with Samoa,' he said in remarks following the ceremony.
During the bilateral meeting, the two sides reviewed progress on development partnership and capacity building initiatives, and discussed steps to advance cooperation across shared priorities. 'India values its close and enduring partnership with Samoa,' Margherita noted after the talks.
Three-Nation Pacific Visit
Margherita arrived in Apia on Thursday, kicking off an official itinerary that will also take him to the Cook Islands and Naoero (Nauru). Across all three stops, he is scheduled to meet senior leadership, engage with key stakeholders, and visit India-assisted development projects in the region. He will also connect with members of the local Indian community.
India's Broader Pacific Engagement
The visit is framed within the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC), India's primary multilateral mechanism for engaging Pacific Island Countries. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the tour 'underscores India's commitment to strengthening its partnership with Pacific Island Countries' and builds on the momentum generated at the 3rd FIPIC Summit, held in Port Moresby in May 2023.
Notably, India's outreach to the Pacific has grown steadily as part of its broader Indo-Pacific strategy, with New Delhi positioning itself as a development partner of choice for smaller island nations — a space where it competes for influence with China, Australia, and the United States.
What to Watch
As Margherita continues his tour to the Cook Islands and Naoero, attention will focus on specific deliverables — whether new project commitments or MoUs are signed — that could give substance to the diplomatic goodwill generated in Apia. The outcomes of this visit are likely to inform the agenda of any future FIPIC summit.
Point of View
Active since 2014, has largely stayed at the level of goodwill and small-ticket development projects — meaningful to recipient nations but modest in strategic weight. As China deepens security and infrastructure ties across the Pacific, India's response has been to emphasise soft power and capacity building, which is a coherent but incremental posture. The real measure of this visit will be whether it produces tangible commitments — signed agreements, funded projects — or remains another round of 'warm and productive exchanges.' The MEA's reference to building on the 2023 FIPIC summit suggests the bar for deliverables has been set; Margherita's stops in the Cook Islands and Naoero will reveal whether New Delhi can clear it.
NationPress
16 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did MoS Pabitra Margherita visit Samoa?
MoS Pabitra Margherita visited Samoa as the first leg of an official three-nation Pacific Island tour (16–22 October), aimed at strengthening India's bilateral ties with Samoa and advancing development partnership and capacity building under the FIPIC framework.
What is FIPIC and why does it matter?
The Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) is India's multilateral platform for engaging 14 Pacific Island Countries. It matters because it anchors India's Indo-Pacific strategy in the region and provides a framework for development cooperation, trade, and political engagement with small island states that are increasingly contested by major powers.
Which countries is MoS Margherita visiting on this Pacific tour?
Margherita is visiting Samoa, the Cook Islands, and Naoero (Nauru) between 16 and 22 October 2026. He is expected to hold bilateral meetings with senior leadership, visit India-assisted development projects, and engage with the Indian community in each country.
What was the 'ava ceremony' at the Samoa meeting?
The 'ava ceremony' is a traditional Samoan ritual that symbolises respect, unity, friendship, and hospitality. Samoa's Prime Minister La'auli Leuatea Schmidt and his Cabinet welcomed MoS Margherita with the ceremony, which he described as reflecting the enduring warmth between India and Samoa.
How does this visit connect to the FIPIC Summit of 2023?
The Ministry of External Affairs stated that this tour builds on the momentum of the 3rd FIPIC Summit held in Port Moresby in May 2023. That summit reinforced India's commitment to Pacific Island Countries; the current visit translates that commitment into bilateral engagement and project-level follow-through.
