In March last year, India had handed over a consignment of 100,000 doses of Covishield to Fiji

To strengthen ongoing efforts in combating the Covid-19 pandemic, the Indian High Commission in Fiji on Monday gifted Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Rapid Antigen Test kits to Fiji.

A tweet by the Indian High Commission said they had gifted PPEs, Hand Sanitizers, Thermometer Guns and Rapid Antigen Test Kits to Fiji’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“To strengthen ongoing efforts in combating the COVID pandemic, @HCI_Suva today gifted PPEs/N-95 Masks, Hand Sanitizers, Thermometer Guns & Rapid Antigen Test Kits to @Fiji_MOFA. #TogetherWeCan,” said the post.

In March last year, India handed over a consignment of 100,000 doses of Covishield (AstraZeneca) to Fiji’s Prime Minister Bainimarama.

The vaccines handed over on March 29, 2021, were supplied by India through grant assistance as a special gesture of friendship and solidarity with the people of Fiji, an Indian High Commission statement had said.

This was in keeping with India’s stated commitment to use India’s vaccine production and delivery capacity to help partner countries in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the Indian High Commission in Fiji website, India-Fiji relations are continuously strengthening, particularly after the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Fiji in November 2014, when the First Meeting of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Co-operation (FIPIC-I) was also held.

Fijian Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama participated in 2nd Summit of FIPIC (FIPIC-II) at Jaipur in August 2015, it stated.

Fijian PM Bainimarama visited India in May 2016 during a stopover, on his way to the United Nations World Humanitarian Summit in Turkey, and had meeting with Indian Prime Minister.

The Fijian PM also participated in the Founding Conference of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) held at New Delhi in March 2018, it added.