Authorities in the United Kingdom have convened the first ever Pacific Small Island Development States (PSIDS) meeting of Pacific heads of missions in London.
Thanks to the patient intercession by Fiji’s High Commissioner Solo Mara on behalf of the PSIDS, which has now paid off.
On November 21 the High Commissioners of Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Tonga in the UK were hosted to a first ever three-hour meeting by the British Minister of State for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office [responsible for the Pacific amongst other things], the Honorable Hugo Swire and the Minister for Natural Environment and Fisheries, Richard Benyon MP [who attended a recent Pacific meeting in the Cook Islands].
At the meeting, frank and fruitful exchange of ideas and views were undertaken with a view to lift the bilateral relations between the UK and the Pacific Island countries represented in the UK.
This discussions were only made possible with the persistent representation High Commissioner Mara had been making to the Foreign Office over the past 12 months on the need for the UK to recognise the important role Pacific SIDS play in the region.
High Commissioner Mara was invited by ministers at the meeting to brief them on the political dialogue and constitutional process undertaken in Fiji.
He concluded with the message that what Fiji needs from the UK is the understanding and support of the British Government in recognising our Roadmap as a credible home-grown solution to our inherent political and economic challenges.
He added this could go a long way into forging a vibrant bilateral relationship based on mutual respect and recognition of each others sovereignty.
The meeting agreed that Pacific Islands head of missions in the UK meet monthly from January 2013 with the with Foreign Office senior officials and another meeting with the ministers in every quarter. This will enable both sides to brief each other on issues of mutual interest.
The ministers have also supported the establishment of a UK-Pacific Islands Business Forum in the first quarter of 2013 to raise the economic profile of the Pacific Island countries in the UK with membership to be drawn from the private sectors and Members of Parliament.
Another milestone in our UK Mission’s engagement with the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office was reached when a Pacific Division was established [with a line minister] focusing on the Pacific Island countries. This fully-fledged Pacific Division is headed by a senior ranked civil servant with specific desk officers each for Fiji and PNG.
Previously, we were only a small subset of the Asia/Pacific Division. This development is indicative of the success of our efforts to raise Fiji and our PSIDS profile internationally.
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