Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita on Tuesday, 1 September told the 55th Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders' Meeting in Koror, Palau, that India views the Pacific not as a distant region but as an integral part of its broader Indo-Pacific vision. Addressing the Dialogue Partner Session, Margherita underscored how New Delhi's engagement with Pacific island nations has deepened significantly under the Act East Policy.

India's Strategic Framing of the Pacific

Margherita made clear that India's partnership with the Blue Pacific Continent is guided by a principle-based framework — one rooted in respect for international law, sovereignty, territorial integrity, freedom of navigation and overflight, and the peaceful resolution of disputes. He quoted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's formulation that India recognises Pacific Island Countries as 'large ocean states,' a framing that elevates their stature beyond small-island status in diplomatic discourse.

'We see the Pacific not as a distant region, but as an integral part of our shared Indo-Pacific,' Margherita said, adding that India attaches 'the highest importance' to its partnership with the region.

FIPIC and Multilateral Cooperation

The Minister highlighted the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) as a key institutional vehicle for the relationship. At the Third FIPIC Summit held in Papua New Guinea in 2023, Prime Minister Modi announced a comprehensive package of initiatives spanning healthcare, education, digital capacity building, water security, and renewable energy. Margherita reaffirmed India's commitment to translating those pledges into ground-level outcomes through bilateral development cooperation and demand-driven projects via the India-UN Development Partnership Fund.

Climate, Resilience, and the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative

Margherita acknowledged that climate change and sea-level rise are 'present and existential concerns' for Pacific nations — a characterisation that aligns India's position with the urgency expressed by island states. He pointed to three multilateral instruments as India's contribution: the International Solar Alliance (ISA), the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), and the Global Biofuel Alliance (GBA), inviting PIF members to join all three.

He also referenced the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, announced by India in 2019, which focuses on securing an open maritime domain while safeguarding ocean health. This comes amid growing great-power competition in the Pacific, where China's infrastructure diplomacy has drawn sustained attention from regional and external stakeholders.

Pacific Voice in the Global South

Margherita stressed that the Pacific holds an important voice within the wider Global South and pledged that India would continue championing Pacific priorities in global decision-making forums. He noted that PIF members have actively participated in India's three Voice of Global South Summits, which have served as a platform for amplifying the perspectives of developing nations.

The Summit's theme — 'B.E.L.A.U – Building Economies: Life. Action. Unity' — was cited by Margherita as resonating with India's own philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world as one family), framing the bilateral relationship within a civilisational as well as strategic context.

What Comes Next

India's engagement with the Pacific is expected to intensify as New Delhi positions itself as a credible development partner and security provider in the region. The reaffirmation of FIPIC commitments and the push for Pacific nations to join ISA, CDRI, and GBA signal that India is moving from announcements to implementation — a shift that will be watched closely by both Pacific island governments and competing external powers.