Papua New Guinea PM Marape welcomes Modi, touches his feet
After concluding the Japan leg of his three-nation tour, PM Narendra Modi on Sunday arrived in Papua New Guinea. His counterpart James Marape personally received Modi and touched his feet to seek blessings before sharing a hug. Reportedly, as per the island nation's traditions, no formal welcome is accorded to foreign guests post-sunset, but Modi was given a gun salute and a red-carpet welcome.
Modi first Indian PM to visit PNG
Modi's Papua New Guinea trip marks the first-ever visit by an Indian prime minister to the country. In the first leg of his three-nation tour, Modi visited Japan, where he attended the G7 summit and held bilateral meetings with several leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Besides the G7 conference, he also participated in the Quad summit. On Tuesday, he will leave for Australia.
Watch: Marape touches Modi's feet and seeks blessings
Modi, Marape to hold FIPIC summit
In Papua New Guinea, Modi and Marape are set to jointly hold the third Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) summit on Monday. "I am grateful that all 14 Pacific Island Countries (PIC) have accepted the invitation to attend this important summit," Modi earlier said.