India’s Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Textiles, Pabitra Margherita, will visit Vanuatu from April 22 to 23 in a focused push to deepen bilateral political and development ties, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. The two-day trip will include bilateral meetings with Vanuatu’s prime minister and foreign minister, a tour of the Indian-assisted Centre of Excellence in Information Technology in Port Vila, and a review of ongoing India-supported projects across the country.
Margherita’s meetings are expected to centre on strengthening political cooperation and expanding development partnerships, with Indian officials signalling a particular interest in health, education and infrastructure projects already underway in Vanuatu. The minister’s visit follows the 2023 Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) Summit and is being presented by New Delhi as part of a sustained outreach to Pacific island states.
The planned tour of the Centre of Excellence in Information Technology highlights one tangible outcome of the India–Vanuatu cooperation to date. Established with Indian assistance, the centre serves both as a symbol of the relationship and a platform for capacity-building in digital skills — an area New Delhi has emphasised across its Pacific engagement. The MEA statement said Margherita will use the visit to assess delivery on these initiatives and discuss next steps with Vanuatu counterparts.
India and Vanuatu have in recent years aligned on a number of global priorities, according to the MEA: climate change, the promotion of democratic values, and multiculturalism. Despite the vast distance separating the two capitals, New Delhi describes bilateral relations as having “grown steadily,” citing ongoing development aid and technical cooperation across multiple sectors as evidence.
For Vanuatu, the visit provides an opportunity to press for practical support on pressing development needs and to solidify diplomatic links with a rising partner in the Indo-Pacific. For India, the trip is another demonstration of its wider regional strategy to expand ties with smaller island nations through a mix of diplomacy, capacity-building and project-level assistance.
Margherita’s short itinerary — meetings at the political level, a technical site visit and project reviews — frames the visit as a continuation rather than a break with past initiatives launched under the FIPIC process. Officials in both capitals are positioning the mission as reinforcing existing cooperation while exploring practical programmes that can be accelerated in the months ahead.
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