I’m very pleased to be in Israel and to have this opportunity to meet with the Prime Minister, the Honourable Benjamin Netanyahu.
This visit is part of a tour that I am making of Middle East capitals to discuss Fiji’s contribution to United Nations Peacekeeping operations in the region.
For 38 years - since 1978 - we have proudly provided our servicemen and women to serve in UN operations on the Israel-Syrian border and in Lebanon and Egypt.
We may be a small island nation in the Pacific but we have always been determined to play our part in the global community. And part of that is helping to keep the peace for ordinary men and women in troubled parts of the world.
These people are far from our tranquil island homes but we pride ourselves on coming to do what we can to make their lives better. And today, I intend to promise the Israeli Prime Minister that our commitment will continue, just I will tell other leaders in the Middle East that they can always rely on Fiji.
At the forefront of our discussions, of course, will be the safety of Fijian men and women in uniform as they carry out their duties on behalf of the UN. And that will also be the message I will take to Lebanon later in the week and to the UAE and other nations in the Middle East in the weeks and months ahead.
As Fijians, we have always regarded the people of Israel as friends, just as we do the citizens of its neighbours. We are here to help. We are here to keep the peace. And that commitment will continue now and in the years ahead.
I am also looking for Israel’s support on a range of issues including agriculture and especially our effort to draw global attention to the need for more decisive action on climate change.
The rising sea levels and extreme weather events associated with climate change threaten our very existence in the Pacific. And we need the support of Israel and every nation as we take this fight to Morocco and COP-22 later in the month.
In the meantime, I want to thank the Israeli Government for its warm welcome and I pass on the invitation for the Prime Minister and his family to come to Fiji and enjoy a holiday and the hospitality that only Fiji can give you.
I look forward to my meeting with the Prime Minister.
Vinaka vakalevu, Thank you.