External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama have discussed defence cooperation between their countries on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting. After the meeting on Tuesday, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said they were "building upon a historical relationship with an important Pacific partner of India".

They discussed "development assistance, capacity building and defence cooperation," he tweeted. In 2017, during Fiji's Minster for Defence Ratu Inoke Kubuabola's visit to New Delhi, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on defence cooperation covering defence industry, military training and humanitarian assistance and disaster management.