Lisbon – 9 October 2025. The Honorary Consul-General of the Kingdom of Tonga to the Portuguese Republic, Mr Anthony Bailey, paid a courtesy visit to HE Mr Puneet R. Kundal, Ambassador of the Republic of India to the Portuguese Republic, at the Residence of the Ambassador in Lisbon.
Discussions focused on the close and evolving partnership between the Kingdom of Tonga and the Republic of India, which established diplomatic relations in 1970. As fellow members of the Commonwealth, the two countries enjoy a cordial relationship marked by historic royal exchanges, growing political dialogue, cooperation through multilateral fora, and capacity-building initiatives in areas such as education, defence training, maritime affairs, climate resilience, tourism, and sustainable development.
Their meeting recalled the state visits of HM King Taufaʻahau Tupou IV and HM Queen Halaevalu Mataʻaho to India in 1971 and 1976, during which they were hosted by the President and Prime Minister of India and deepened Tonga’s engagement with New Delhi. Equally significant was the visit of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to Tonga in 1981, which underlined India’s friendship with the Pacific Kingdom and helped to open new avenues of cooperation.
In recent years, India-Tonga relations have gained fresh momentum through the Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC), bringing together the leaders of India and Tonga for regular dialogue, as well as through high-level visits, including the visit of India’s Minister of State for External Affairs and Textiles, Shri Pabitra Margherita, to Tonga in August 2024. The appointment in June 2025 of Lady Fane Fakafanua as Honorary Consul of India in Nuku‘alofa has further reinforced people-to-people, business, and cultural ties between both countries.
As HM King Tupou VI and the people of Tonga commemorate the 150th Anniversary of their Constitution, the meeting in Lisbon provided an opportunity to reflect on these longstanding royal and diplomatic links with India, founded on shared values of democracy, faith, education, and mutual understanding that continue to unite Tonga, India, and Portugal across the Indo-Pacific.
India and Portugal themselves enjoy a modern, forward-looking partnership, underpinned by deep historical ties and 50 years of re-established diplomatic relations. Ambassador Puneet R. Kundal plays a leading role in advancing political, economic, and cultural cooperation between India and Portugal, as well as promoting India’s engagement with the wider Lusophone world.
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