High Commission of India

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

High Commission of India 
Port Moresby  

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INDIA - SOLOMON ISLANDS BILATERAL BRIEF 

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:  

Diplomatic relations between India and the Solomon Islands (SI) were established in  May 1987. Both countries enjoy warm and friendly relations, anchored in shared values and  cooperation under the framework of South-South cooperation. 

The High Commission of India in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, is concurrently  accredited to the Solomon Islands. The Solomon Islands established its Honorary Consulate  in New Delhi in 2003. On 16 March 2023, a Solomon Islands delegation arrived in New Delhi  to undertake groundwork for the establishment of its resident Mission. Subsequently, on 6  September 2023, the Solomon Islands’ first High Commissioner to India presented his  Credentials to the Honourable President of India. 

GRANT IN AID /ASSISTANCE/HADR  

2025. i. In June 2023, the two sides signed an MoU for the establishment of an ICCR Chair in Economics at the Solomon Islands National University (SINU), aimed at facilitating the engagement of Indian professors and contributing to capacity building  and nation-building in the Solomon Islands. Pursuant to this, Dr. Kapila Mallah,  Professor, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, joined SINU as Visiting Professor in  Economics on 27 May 2025. 
2026. ii. GOI accorded approval for Grant-in-aid proposal of SI$ 31,99,904 (equivalent Rs.2.98  crore approx.) for relocation of Forestry Certificate program to Poitete Campus,  Kolombangara, Western Province. Poitete Campus Forestry Training in Western  Province was opened in 1988 with 18 students. It was relocated to Honiara Kukum  Campus in 2007 due to non-availability of budget provisions by provincial government.  Relocation of Forestry Certificate Course to Poitete Campus will upgrade technical  skills in this regard. The Government of India has released the first two tranches (80%  total) of total grant support.  

III.iii.  In December 2023, 20 TATA buses, valued at USD 1 million, were gifted by the  Government of India to the Solomon Islands for the Pacific Games 2023, marking  India’s largest bilateral assistance to the Solomon Islands. 

1. iv. In May 2023, under the India–UNDP Fund, the Government of India implemented a  solarization project for the Government House in Honiara, Solomon Islands, which  was completed at a cost of USD 1 million. 
   
   
2. v. The Government of India established a Centre of Excellence in Information  Technology (CEIT) at the Solomon Islands National University (SINU), which has  been operational since July 2023. Two experts from C-DAC were deputed as Centre  Head and Trainer for a period of two years. In January 2026, the Centre was formally  handed over to SINU upon completion of the project. 
   
   
3. vi. Under a bilateral initiative, over 50,000 doses of COVISHIELD vaccines were  handed over to the Minister of Health and Medical Services at Honiara International  Airport on 21 June 2022. In July 2022, the Government of India also donated COVID 19 medicines worth USD 250,000, including antiviral and antibacterial drugs, vitamin  supplements, medicines for diarrhoea, asthma, anaemia and scabies, as well as PPE 

and face masks. In addition, 60 kg of lentil seeds for commercial farming were  gifted to the Government of the Solomon Islands in June 2022. 

VII.vii.  Following the tsunami that struck the Solomon Islands on 2 April 2007, the  Government of India provided USD 100,000 as relief and rehabilitation assistance for the affected population. 

VIII.viii.  A dialysis machine, a FIPIC-III deliverable from the Government of India, was gifted  to the National Referral Hospital (NRH) on 26 February 2025. 

HIGH LEVEL EXCHANGES: 

1. i. A three-member delegation comprising Mr. Patteson John Oti, Speaker of the  National Parliament of the Solomon Islands; Mr. Jefferson Osborne Hallu, Clerk to  the National Parliament; and Mr. Wilson Orisi, Director of Committees, visited India  from 14 to 18 January 2026 to participate in the 28th Conference of Speakers and  Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) held in New Delhi. 
   
   
2. ii.The Solomon Islands participated in the 8th General Assembly of the International  Solar Alliance (ISA) held in New Delhi from 27 to 30 October 2025, with the  delegation led by the Hon. Derick Rawcliff Manuari, Minister of Mines, Energy and  Rural Electrification. 

iii. iii. Solomon Islands’ Foreign Minister, Hon. Peter Shanel Agovaka, attended the FIPIC  Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, hosted by India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S.  Jaishankar, in New York on 24 September 2025, on the sidelines of the 80th  Session of the United Nations General Assembly. 

3. iv. On 17 August 2024, Solomon Islands’ Minister for Foreign Affairs and External  Trade, Peter Shanel Agovaka, and Minister for Environment, Hon. Trevor Hedley,  participated in Voice of Global South Summit (VOGSS) 3.0 and delivered virtual  remarks during their respective sessions. 
   
   
4. v. On 27–28 Nov 2023, Dr. Paul Mae, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice  and Legal Affairs, and Mr. George Gray, Public Solicitor of the Solomon Islands,  attended the 1st Regional Conference on Access to Legal Aid in New Delhi. 
   
   
5. vi. On 17 November 2023, Mr. Selwyn Takana, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Finance  and Treasury, Government of the Solomon Islands, attended the Finance  Ministers’ Session of the 2nd Voice of the Global South Summit and spoke on  connectivity, renewable energy, climate change, and financing. 

vii.vii.  Solomon Islands participated in the Sixth Session of the International Solar  Alliance (ISA) Assembly, held on 31 October 2023 in New Delhi. The delegation  was led by Hon. Bradley Tovosia, Minister of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification. 

viii. On 22 May 2023, Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare of the Solomon Islands led a  delegation to participate in the 3rd Summit of the Forum for India–Pacific Islands  Cooperation (FIPIC) held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, during which he met  with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

1. viii. On 24 April 2023, Dr. Culwick Togamana, Minister for Health, and Mr. Albino  Bobogare, Director of the Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, Ministry of Health, Solomon Islands, visited New Delhi to participate in the Asia-Pacific Leaders’  Conclave on Malaria Elimination. 

1. ix. On 7 March 2023, Shri Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, Minister of State, on the sidelines  of the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) held in Doha, met Mr. Jeremiah Manele, then Minister for Foreign Affairs of the  Solomon Islands. During the meeting, Mr. Manele confirmed the Solomon Islands’  participation in the 3rd Summit of the Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation  (FIPIC-III) and also requested India’s support for funding of the Pacific Games in  the Solomon Islands and the establishment of the Solomon Islands’ High  Commission in New Delhi. 
   
   
2. x. On 13 January 2023, Hon. Lanelle Tanangada, Minister for Education of the  Solomon Islands, participated in the Education Ministers’ Session of the 1st Voice  of the Global South Summit (VOGSS). 

xii.xi.  External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar met Mr. Jeremiah Manele, then Foreign  Minister of the Solomon Islands (now Prime Minister), on the sidelines of the  Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Kigali on 25  June 2022. 

xiii. xii. On 24 September 2019, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi hosted a meeting of  India–Pacific Islands Developing States (PSIDS) Leaders, including the Solomon  Islands, in New York, on the sidelines of the 74th Session of the United Nations  General Assembly. 

xiv. xiii. Shri Piyush Goyal, then Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal,  New and Renewable Energy, and Mines, visited Honiara in October 2016. This  marked the first-ever ministerial visit from India to the Solomon Islands. During  the visit, he called on Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, met the Minister for  Power and Mines, and interacted with the Indian community. India offered support  in the areas of energy-efficient LED lighting and renewable energy, including solar  lighting solutions. The Minister also highlighted avenues for India’s assistance to the  Solomon Islands in sectors such as IT skill development, healthcare, and capacity  building. 

2016. xiv. Mr. Joseph Atkin Tada, Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and  External Trade (MFAET), Solomon Islands, participated in the Distinguished  Visitors Programme (DVP) organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations  (ICCR) for 14 Pacific Island Countries in February 2016. 

xvi. xv. A five-member delegation led by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home  Affairs of the Solomon Islands, Hon. Douglas Ete, participated in the 2nd Summit  of the Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) held in Jaipur in  August 2015. 

INDIAN TECHNICAL & ECONOMIC COOPERATION (ITEC): India has been offering  assistance to SIs in capacity building by allocating 05 training slots p.a. in diverse fields under  ITEC programme. SIs, however, did not fully utilize the slots in past years, but in 2019-20,  slots were fully utilized. Due to non-availing of training slots, it has been reduced to 02 since  2020-21. During the year 2024-25, only one slot was utilised while during 2025-26, both the  slots were utilised. 

MoUs  

An MoU between the Governments of India and the Solomon Islands on exemption from  visa requirements for holders of Diplomatic and Official Passports was signed on 21  June 2022. On 9 August 2024, an MoU on Pharmacopeial Cooperation was signed  between the two countries. Subsequently, on 3 July 2025, India and the Solomon Islands  signed an MoU on cooperation in the fields of health and medicine in New Delhi. 

ECONOMIC & COMMERCIAL RELATIONS: 

Bilateral trade figures are as follows (US$ million, Dept of Commerce, GOI): 

India primarily imports wood & articles of wards, wood charcoal (HS-44) from Solomon  Islands. India’s exports to Solomon Islands are primarily drugs & pharmaceuticals (HS - 30).  

INDIAN COMMUNITY: 

There are presently about 30 Indian passport holders in SI.  

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