External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar extended greetings to the government and people of the Solomon Islands on the country's 48th Independence anniversary on Tuesday. In a post on X, Jaishankar also conveyed his felicitations to his counterpart, Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Ricky Nelson Houenipwela.
India's Gift of Dialysis Machine Highlighted
The post included an image noting that in February 2025, India gifted a dialysis machine to the National Referral Hospital in the Solomon Islands. Jaishankar said, "Felicitations to FM Ricky Nelson Houenipwela, the Government and people of the Solomon Islands on the 48th anniversary of their Independence."
Previous Parliamentary Engagement
Earlier in January, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla met with Solomon Islands Speaker Patteson John Oti on the sidelines of the Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) in New Delhi. Birla discussed ways to boost people-to-people ties and highlighted India's support during catastrophes. He said, "India has always stood by the Solomon Islands during catastrophes and difficult times. We reaffirmed our commitment to this enduring friendship and discussed the MoU on Visa Exemption to ease our people-to-people connect." Birla also invited Solomon Islands MPs and staff to leverage India's PRIDE institute for specialised training in legislative best practices.
Diplomatic Relations and FIPIC
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, diplomatic relations between India and the Solomon Islands were established in May 1987. The Solomon Islands established its Honorary Consulate in New Delhi in 2003. In March 2023, a team from the Solomon Islands arrived in New Delhi to begin groundwork for establishing its resident mission. Bilateral political interaction is comprehensive in multilateral and international forums. India's mission in Port Moresby is concurrently accredited to the Solomon Islands.
India's relationship with Pacific Island Countries has deepened with the Act East Policy, leading to the Forum for India-Pacific Island Cooperation (FIPIC). During FIPIC Summits, Prime Minister Narendra Modi articulated India's desire to be a close partner and work closely to advance the developmental agenda of Pacific Island Countries.
