India, Fiji hold key meeting to boost cooperation in maritime security, cyber training

New Delhi, Senior officials from India and Fiji on Monday took part in a key meeting of a bilateral defence group and discussed maritime security, cyber training, defence industry collaboration and enhanced institutional cooperation between their armed forces, officials said.

India also reiterated the importance accorded to Fiji and the Pacific Island Countries in its vision of a free, open, inclusive and secure Indo-Pacific.

The second India-Fiji Bilateral Joint Working Group meeting was held in the capital on Monday, during which the two countries held discussions on a wide range of areas of mutual interest, including military training and capacity building, service-to-service engagements, maritime security, cyber training, defence industry collaboration and enhanced institutional cooperation between the armed forces of India and Fiji, the Indian defence ministry said.

Both sides expressed satisfaction at the growing bilateral defence engagements and reaffirmed their commitment to further expanding cooperation in mutually beneficial areas, it said.

The meeting was co-chaired by Amitabh Prasad, joint secretary in the ministry, and Mason Smith, permanent secretary for defence and veterans affairs, Fiji.

Smith also met Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on the sidelines of the JWG meeting. The discussions focused on strengthening bilateral defence and maritime cooperation, including opportunities for greater defence-industry collaboration.

As part of efforts to expand specialised military training cooperation, the Fijian delegation is scheduled to visit Kochi on September 29-30.

The delegation will inspect facilities at the Southern Naval Command to formalise advanced naval training cooperation and professional aviation training modules, enhancing technical proficiency and operational synergy between the two maritime forces, the ministry said.

Before the bilateral talks, Smith paid tribute to India's fallen soldiers at the National War Memorial.

The Fijian delegation also visited the DPSU Bhavan at the World Trade Centre here, where its members were briefed on India's indigenous defence manufacturing capabilities.

"The visit highlighted advancements under the 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' initiative, with a focus on exhibition displays and advanced augmented reality/virtual reality simulation facilities that replicate real-world battlefield conditions," the ministry said.

India and Fiji share close friendly relations, underpinned by historical, cultural and people-to-people ties. The meeting provided an opportunity to consolidate the existing defence partnership and identify new avenues for cooperation.

Both sides agreed to maintain regular engagements and work towards further deepening bilateral defence cooperation, the ministry said.

In a separate statement, the ministry said the second joint defence cooperation meeting between India and Ethiopia was held in Addis Ababa on Monday.

The two countries discussed areas of mutual interest in the fields of military training, military exercise, medical cooperation, peacekeeping and defence industries.

Both sides agreed to expand and deepen defence cooperation activities through exchange of personnel from training institutes, exploring avenues for joint ventures in defence production, delegation visits and experience-sharing interactions, the ministry said.

The visit marked a pivotal step in India-Ethiopia defence relations and reinforces the commitment of the two sides to work together. It was also part of the institutional mechanism set up through the signing of a defence cooperation MoU in February 2025 by the defence ministers of both countries.

The first JDC between India and Ethiopia was held in Delhi in October 2025.

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