Mauri from Tarawa.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka arrived in Kiribati this afternoon for his first official State visit to the island nation.
On arrival at Bonriki International Airport, the Prime Minister was received by Kiribati’s Minister for Education and Secretary to Cabinet Hon Alexander Teabo after which, he reviewed a guard of honour by the island’s Police Services Brass Band.
The visit is Hon Rabuka’s first official trip overseas after being sworn in as Prime Minister on Christmas Eve, last year.
The Prime Minister will meet with the President of Kiribati Hon Taneti Maamau to re-engage with the island nation after it’s withdrawal from the Pacific Islands Forum (PIFs) last year and, to reaffirm that solidarity exists in the region.
Prime Minister Rabuka hopes to bring Kiribati back into PIFs before he passes on the chairmanship of the Pacific Islands Forum back to the Cook Islands in March this year.
The visit to Kiribati by Prime Minister Rabuka is a crucial step in strengthening the bilateral relations and historical ties between the two nations.
More importantly, it is also to seek President Maamau’s counsel on the pressing issues for the Pacific region, which include climate change, oceans and economic resilience, among other important aspects.
