1st Foreign Office Consultations meeting between India and Samoa in Apia

The first Foreign Office Consultations - FOC meeting between India and Samoa was held on 21 August 2023 in Apia.

The meeting was co-chaired by Saurabh Kumar, Secretary, Eastern Region, Ministry of External Affairs, and Peseta Nomiya Simi, Chief Executive Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Samoa, Ministry of Trade.

• Both sides discussed in detail bilateral relations including development partnership in areas such as health, information and telecommunication technology, education, small and medium enterprises and capacity building.
• The two sides also discussed the Indo-Pacific Islands Cooperation Forum-3rd Summit and follow-up discussions on regional and global issues and the Pacific Islands Forum Framework, the Commonwealth and the United Nations.
• The statement said the two sides discussed diverse dimensions of the bilateral relationship, including areas of development collaboration such as health, information and communication technology, small and medium enterprises, capacity building. The two sides also discussed the situation after the Forum for India-Pacific Island Cooperation (FIPIC) meeting.
• The Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) meeting was held on 22 May 2023 in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
• According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the two sides discussed regional and global issues, including cooperation at the Commonwealth and United Nations levels.
• Samoa will host the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) which is proposed on 21 October 2023.

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM):

• The leaders of Commonwealth countries meet every two years at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
• The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 2022 was held in Kigali, Rwanda with the theme 'Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming'.

Samoa:

• Samoa is mainly part of the Oceania continent located in the Pacific Ocean. Samoa gained independence from New Zealand in the year 1962.
• Capital: Apia
• Currency: Tala 
• Prime Minister: Naomi Mataafa (First female Prime Minister).