Foreign Minister Marise Payne will pay three days visit to Fiji to attend Pacific Islands Forum ministerial meetings and further strengthen cooperation to promote security and prosperity in the region.
The foreign ministers of Pacific Island Forum will meet in Fiji on Friday to consider key issues ahead of Pacific Island Forum leaders meeting in August.
At the special Forum Economic Ministers’ Meeting on 25 July, ministers will discuss opportunities and proposals to support a resilient and stable Pacific.
“At foreign ministers meeting, I will join other foreign ministers to discuss how we can work together to secure our region, the Blue Pacific, including through managing fisheries and finalising maritime boundaries”, Marise Payne said in a statement.
“I am also looking forward to discussions on how we can strengthen regional security under the Boe Declaration”, she added.
Marise Payne said that Australia is working with Pacific partners to implement two key regional security initiatives in support of the Boe Declaration – the Pacific Fusion Centre, and the Australia Pacific Security College.
The Pacific Fusion Centre will inform responses to the security challenges our region faces, including illegal fishing, people smuggling and drug trafficking. The Australia Pacific Security College will strengthen regional security cooperation across the region.
I During her stay, she will meet again with women parliamentarians in Fiji, including the Minister for Women Children and Poverty Alleviation, Mereseini Vuniwaqa.
She will also visit the Pacific Community’s (SPC) Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees (CePaCT), an important initiative to assist Pacific island countries access vital seeds and staple crops, and the Fiji National University (FNU) to see Australian support for Pacific island students.
