India-Fiji relations rest on mutual respect, cooperation: PM Modi

New Delhi, Apr 27 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India-Fiji relations rest on mutual respect and cooperation beside people-to-people ties and expressed confidence that they will continue to gain in strength.

In an online address at the inauguration of Shri Satya Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Heart Hospital in Fiji, he said it was a priority country for his government as it sent medicines and other help to over 150 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. India was concerned not only about its citizens but also from around the world, Modi said.

There could a huge ocean between the two countries but their cultures have kept them together, he stressed. Modi said the hospital is another symbol of their mutual relations and affection. This marks another chapter in their journey together, he added. The hospital will be instrumental in giving a new lease of life to children, he said, noting this is the first hospital of this kind in the south-Pacific region with free of cost treatment.

The prime minister also lauded the Shri Satya Sai foundation and hailed its services in fields such as education, health and welfare of the poor. Modi also praised Sai Baba, who enjoyed massive following, and said he freed spirituality of rituals and connected it directly with people’s welfare. He also always blessed him, the prime minister added.