Brisbane, Sep 17 : Minister of State for External Affairs (MoS) Pabitra Margherita paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at his statue at Roma Street Parklands in Australia's Brisbane on Wednesday.

"Honoured to pay a floral tribute at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Roma Street Parklands, Brisbane, Australia today. Remembering the Father of the Nation and his timeless message of peace and non-violence," Margherita posted on X.

Margherita also planted a sapling as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' initiative, calling it a "fitting tribute" to PM Modi on his 75th birthday.

"Under Hon'ble PM Shri Narendra Modi ji's initiative #EkPedMaaKeNaam, planted a sapling this afternoon at Roma Street Parklands, Brisbane, Australia. A fitting tribute on the birthday of our beloved Prime Minister inspiring us to nurture Mother Earth as we honour our mothers," Margherita wrote in a post on X.

Earlier, Margherita concluded his official visit to Papua New Guinea where he represented PM Modi at the commemorative events marking the country's 50th anniversary of Independence.

The minister met Micronesia President Wesley Simina on Tuesday at the sidelines of celebrations. "Pleasure to meet Hon'ble Wesley Simina, President of the Federated States of Micronesia, in Port Moresby on the sidelines of PNGAt50," Simina posted on X.

He also met visiting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Papua New Guinea.

While sharing picture of Albanese and himself on X, he wrote, "Glad to meet Hon'ble Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia, in Port Moresby on the sidelines of the commemorative events marking PNGAt50."

During the visit, Margherita called on Papua New Guinea PM James Marape and conveyed the warm greetings of the Government of India on the 50th anniversary of Independence of Papua New Guinea. They held discussions on various aspects of the bilateral relationship and discussed ways to further enhance ties between India and Papua New Guinea.

Earlier, Indian Naval Ship INS Kadmatt participated in the 50th Anniversary events of Papua New Guinea including the fleet review from August 30-September 8.

President Droupadi Murmu also sent a letter to Sir Bob Bofeng Dadae, the Governor-General of Papua New Guinea conveying warm greetings of to the Government and people of Papua New Guinea on the occasion of their 50th anniversary of Independence, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

Margherita also conveyed wishes of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to his Papua New Guinea counterpart Justin Tkatchenko.

He attended various events commemorating the 50th Independence Day of Papua New Guinea, including the Flag Raising Ceremony at Independence Hill.

"On the sidelines of the events commemorating the 50th Independence Day of Papua New Guinea, MoS(PM) also had brief pull-aside interactions with Hon'ble Wesley Simina, President of the Federated States of Micronesia and Hon'ble Manoa Kamikamica, the Deputy Prime Minister of Fiji," the MEA stated.

He also addressed members of the Indian diaspora in a community event organised at the High Commission of India in Port Moresby and reaffirmed Government of India's strong commitment towards welfare of the Indian diaspora. During his visit, he interacted with the business community in Papua New Guinea, including leading textile entrepreneurs of the country.

"Following the historic 3rd Summit of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in May 2023 in Port Moresby, the visit of MOS(PM) to Papua New Guinea provided an opportunity to continue our engagement with the leadership in the Pacific Island Countries (PICs)," the MEA statement added.

/IANS