Narendra Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the island nation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Papua New Guinea (PNG) on Sunday to attend the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FPIC). He was greeted at the airport by his counterpart James Marape, who in a surprise move, touched his feet.
5 points on Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape:
- The 52-year-old has been serving in the position since 2019. He belongs to the PANGU Pati political party in the country. Notably, PNG doesn't usually give a ceremonial welcome for any leader visiting the country after sunset, however, an exception was made for PM Modi.
- Mr Marape graduated with a Bachelor in Arts from the University of Papua New Guinea in 1993. He has also earned a Postgraduate Honours in Environmental Science and a Master's degree in Business Administration, according to the official website of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea.
- Mr Marape, the 8th Prime Minister of the island nation, held many significant cabinet positions in Papua New Guinea in the past, including Education and Finance. In addition, he also served as Parliamentary Secretary for Works and Transport, and has sat on the Parliamentary Referral Committee on Inter-Government Relations.
- Mr Marape previously worked as Acting Assistant Secretary of Policy with the Department of Personnel Management from 2001 to 2006. He resigned from the People's National Congress Party on 20th April, 2019. He then joined the Pangu PATI and was given the leadership role.
- According to The Guardian, in 2020, there was an attempt to topple the Marape government through a no-confidence motion, which was eventually unsuccessful.
