This article covers diplomatic relations between India and Papua New Guinea (PNG): the main visits by leaders and ministers in both directions, the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) summits, Foreign Office Consultations, naval ship visits and the agreements signed. It is based on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief of July 2026.

Overview

According to the MEA brief of July 2026, India and PNG "enjoy warm and friendly relations". The dates on which each country opened its resident mission in the other are given in the practical guide in this series.

The 2016 State Visit

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, paid a first-ever State Visit to PNG from 28 to 29 April 2016. Four MoUs were signed during the visit, on:

  • Agriculture Research Cooperation between the University of Technology, Lae (UNITECH) and the Indian Council for Agricultural Research
  • Cooperation in the Health Sector
  • a Line of Credit (LoC) of US $100 million for Infrastructure Development in PNG
  • setting up a Centre of Excellence in IT in PNG

During the visit, the President also announced that India would provide retro-viral drugs and equipment for HIV patients in PNG, which were later supplied.

FIPIC summits

The brief describes the highest-level visit from PNG as that of the then Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, who came to India for the FIPIC Summit held in Jaipur on 21 August 2015. He outlined PNG's desire to see greater engagement by India with Pacific Island nations in climate change, natural disasters, healthcare, education and other areas, and held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On 21 May 2023, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi arrived in Port Moresby to co-host the 3rd FIPIC Summit with PNG Prime Minister James Marape. The summit, held on 22 May 2023, was attended by 14 Pacific Island Countries (PICs). Prime Minister Modi unveiled a 12-step action plan to strengthen India's partnership with the PICs, including Jaipur foot camps, dialysis units and sea ambulances, yoga centres, and support for IT, solar projects, SMEs and scholarships for the region.

Prime Minister Modi was honoured with the Grand Companion of the Order of Logohu (GCL), which the brief describes as the highest civilian award of PNG. He held bilateral meetings with Governor General Sir Bob Dadae and Prime Minister James Marape, and MoUs were signed on visa waiver for diplomatic and official passport holders and on establishing Foreign Office Consultations.

Foreign ministers and Foreign Office Consultations

External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar met PNG's Foreign Minister Tkatchenko in Washington DC on 27 September 2022.

Secretary (East) Shri Saurabh Kumar visited PNG on 5 December 2022 for the 1st India-PNG Foreign Office Consultations. On 6 December he called on Prime Minister Marape, and they discussed, among other bilateral issues, jointly holding the 3rd FIPIC Summit in Port Moresby in 2023. He also met the Minister for State-Owned Enterprises, William Duma, and the Minister for ICT, Timothy Masiu. The 2nd India-PNG Foreign Office Consultations were held virtually on 12 June 2026.

Voice of Global South Summits

Prime Minister Marape delivered remarks at the inaugural session of the virtual Voice of Global South Summit on 12 January 2023, which the brief says was attended by 10 heads of state or government. On 17 August 2024, Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko and Environment Minister Simo Kilepa took part in VOGSS 3.0 and delivered remarks in their respective sessions.

Other visits

  • Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. Agisa Sekie, with Mr. Tommy Angau of the Department of Foreign Affairs, attended the Indian Ocean Conference held in Maldives from 1 to 5 September 2019.
  • A 2-member delegation led by Justice Shri Sharad Arvind Bobde of the Supreme Court of India visited PNG from 8 to 10 September 2019 for the Commonwealth Judges and Magistrates Conference in Port Moresby.

Visits with a development, trade or technical focus are described in the development article.

Indian Navy ships have visited Port Moresby on several occasions:

  • INS Tabar, 22-24 July 2006
  • INS Sahyadri, on a goodwill visit, 12-15 June 2017
  • INS Sahyadri and INS Kolkata, 2-4 August 2023

A further visit, by INS Kadmatt in 2025 for the anniversary of PNG's independence, is described with the national day in the practical guide.