# India and Fiji deepen defence ties, maritime security focus

2026-09-28T20:51:28+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets

India and Fiji held their second Bilateral Joint Working Group meeting in New Delhi on 28 September, co-chaired by Joint Secretary Amitabh Prasad and Fiji's Permanent Secretary Mason Smith. Discussions covered military training, maritime security, cyber training, defence industry collaboration, and institutional cooperation between the armed forces. India reiterated the importance of Fiji and Pacific Island Countries in its vision of a free, open, inclusive and secure Indo-Pacific. Both sides expressed satisfaction at the growing defence engagements and reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation. The Fijian delegation will visit Kochi on 29-30 September to inspect facilities at the Southern Naval Command and explore formal cooperation in advanced naval and aviation training modules.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

Newsonair and DD India both lead with India's Indo-Pacific vision and the joint working group framework, presenting the meeting as a routine diplomatic success. Deccan Herald strips the framing to a bare two-sentence wire summary, omitting the vision language entirely. The two official-adjacent sources emphasise Aatmanirbhar Bharat and defence industry access, while Deccan Herald's minimal coverage signals low editorial weight. The uniform substance across all three, maritime security, cyber training, capacity building, suggests no actual policy disagreement. The Fijian delegation's Kochi visit on 29-30 September will test whether the advanced naval training modules translate into a signed agreement.

## Coverage

- newsonair.gov.in (pro government) <https://newsonair.gov.in/india-reiterates-importance-of-fiji-pacific-island-countries-in-its-indo-pacific-vision/>
  Leads with India's Indo-Pacific vision, government press release framing, omits any Fiji perspective
- deccanherald.com (neutral report) <https://www.deccanherald.com/india/india-fiji-hold-key-meeting-to-boost-cooperation-in-maritime-security-cyber-training-4163276>
  Two-sentence wire copy, no context or framing beyond PTI attribution
- ddindia.co.in (pro government) <https://ddindia.co.in/2026/09/india-fiji-discuss-maritime-security-military-training-defence-industry-collaboration-at-jwg-meeting/>
  Adds Kochi visit detail and Aatmanirbhar Bharat mention, mirroring MoD press release

Tags: Amitabh Prasad, Fiji, India, Mason Smith, Ministry of Defence
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