India’s High Commissioner to Visit the Cook Islands

Her Excellency Mrs Neeta Bhushan, High Commissioner of the Republic of India to the Cook Islands will visit the Cook Islands from 22 to 27 February 2024.  During her visit, she will meet with Secretary of Foreign Affairs & Immigration Tepaeru Herrmann, call on the King’s Representative Sir Tom Marsters and the Foreign Minister Hon. Tingika Elikana and other senior government officials. 

This visit by High Commissioner Bhushan, who is based in Wellington, is an opportunity to strengthen co-operation between the Cook Islands and India. 

Discussions during this visit will be focused on the India Grant Fund (IGF), training courses delivered by India, the Forum for India-Pacific Island Cooperation (FIPIC), co-operation in information technology including through the Centre of Excellence (CEIT) in Rarotonga as well as forward collaboration in the multilateral fora. 

This year will mark the 26th year of diplomatic relations between the Cook Islands and India with engagements between the two elevated in recent years. The most recent high-level engagements were held in May last year when India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Mark Brown met in the margins of the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Hiroshima, Japan.  Both Leaders subsequently co-chaired the 3rd Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) Summit held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea later that month.

“India is a significant and influential player on the international stage and affords the Cook Islands various economic, political and socio-cultural opportunities which the Cook Islands Government is committed to exploring further,” said Foreign Secretary Herrmann.  “The outcomes of the 3rd FIPIC held in May last year provide a framework within which we can expand co-operation with India and we look forward to discussing how best and in what areas we might progress that with High Commissioner Bhushan.”

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