Prof. Biman Prasad, the Deputy Prime Minister of Fiji of Indian origin, is set to make history by becoming the first foreign leader to visit Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir following the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony held at the temple last month. His visit, scheduled for February 8, marks a significant milestone in diplomatic relations between Fiji and India.
Paramita Tripathi, JS Indo-Pacific, at the Ministry of External Affairs, welcomed him warmly upon his arrival in Delhi on Sunday. Prof. Prasad’s itinerary includes meetings with various Indian ministers during his week-long stay in India from February 4 to 10.
Besides being the Deputy Prime Minister, Prof. Prasad also holds key portfolios, including those of the Minister of Finance, Strategic Planning, National Development, and Statistics for Fiji. During his visit, he is scheduled to visit New Delhi, Goa, and Gujarat, where he is slated to meet with the Minister of State for External Affairs and Education, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, and EAM, S Jaishankar.
Notably, this isn’t Prof. Prasad’s first visit to India; he previously attended a high-level ministerial session in February 2023, focusing on ‘Strategies for a Sustainable and Decarbonised Future.’ During these discussions, he emphasised the urgent need for global action on decarbonisation, particularly highlighting its profound impact on small developing island nations like Fiji.
